Dubai has earned another feather in its cap with the opening of the International Cricket Council's Global Cricket Academy in the Dubai Sports City. With this ambitious and multi-dimensional project the ICC has endorsed that the epicentre of the game is in Dubai.
Dubai's geographical location is an asset. In this context, the academy could serve as an ideal transit point for teams visiting the sub-continent, New Zealand or Australia to stop and sharpen their skills. This will be in evidence before the World Cup early next year.
Pitches unique to every Test playing country have also been created here to simulate those conditions and give a cricketer necessary exposure. No effort or expense has been spared and every modern invention created to enhance a player's cricketing skills is available here.
The sheer logistics of the Global Cricket Academy are staggering, but what is worth applauding is the fact that the academy is not just for the international cricket playing countries, cricketers, coaches, curators, umpires, administrators, but also for the common man.
This should go a long way towards ensuring that expatriates can avail of world class facilities to sharpen their cricketing skills, or simply turn up to enjoy a game of cricket. Either way the game is a winner.
