Dubai: The Al Dhaid cricket village will become a first-class cricket venue this month by hosting an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournament.
"This venue will host the ACC Twenty20 tournament and international teams will be playing on this village," said Abdul Rahman Bukhatir.
Bukhatir ensured the creation of this village following the construction boom which destroyed many cricket grounds in Dubai and Sharjah.
"It is important to have infrastructure in place for the players. Many cricketers are here wanting to play the game. Al Dhaid is today a seven-ground facility which is well maintained and with turf wickets. This venue is not far and is half an hour from any emirate in the UAE and is centrally located."
The first match involving international teams will be played on November 22.
The ACC Trophy will be contested by 12 teams. Al Dhaid will start off by staging the China-Afghanistan match in the morning and Kuwait-Qatar tie in the afternoon.
It will stage ten matches and one semifinal of the tournament
Bukhatir, who brought international cricket to the UAE by hosting a record 198 one-day matches in Sharjah, is also behind the creation of the Dubai Sports City cricket stadium.
"We have now created a world class stadium which is being appreciated by everybody.
"This sort of infrastructure is special.
"We are keeping in pace with the modern world as I believe that sports needs infrastructure which is to the standard of the recent developments around the world," he said.
Huge change
When asked whether he will embark on staging international tournaments like in Sharjah, Bukhatir said: "The world of cricket has undergone a huge change. Today money talks and all sorts of tournaments are being organised.
"Teams are very busy and players have a different concept now, aiming for their income from their teams."
Bukhatir is unsure what the future holds for the game.
"It will take a long time for things to settle down and to know exactly what the future holds for the game.
"The commercial performance during the recent Champions League is a good indicator of the fact that too many things have been taken for granted and therefore adjustments are badly needed.
"We are here to contribute to the game at any time but cricket needs to settle down economically and business-wise.
"Right now there is too much extravagance," he said.
