Dubai: Seven venues in the UAE are hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which starts on Friday.
The tournament will help the UAE showcase its top cricket facilities, which have already won praise from Test-playing nations. It will once again emphasise that the UAE can serve as an ideal venue for international events such as the Asia Cup and Champions Trophy.
By repeatedly hosting the ICC World Cup Twenty20 qualifiers, the UAE has won acclaim from teams for the ease that it offers players to quickly reach the venues and also to practice in state-of-the-art facilities.
Speaking to Gulf News, Mazhar Khan, the tournament director, said: “We are honoured to have been given this opportunity by the ICC to host such a prestigious event. The seven venues have been well laid out and, with excellent weather for cricket [expected], we are confident that it will be an exciting tournament.”
The most advantageous factor for the teams is the location of the venues. “From the hotels of all the teams, the maximum time it might take to reach each of the venues is just one hour and ten minutes. For the fans, if they go to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, they can watch two matches simultaneously. The venues are just a stone’s throw away from one another.”
According to Mazhar, the schedule has been drawn up in such a way that four matches will be held every day. “Matches will be played at the Dubai Sports City complex, which hosts the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, and ICC Academy Oval grounds 1 and 2. The Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium and the adjacent Abu Dhabi Oval 1 and 2 will also host matches and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, too.”
Considering the magnitude of the event, 200 volunteers have been posted at different venues. “These volunteers have come forward to serve the event due to their sheer love for the game. The sevens ground allowed us to stage warm-up matches, while the Fairground Oval allowed teams to practice. Teams also got to train at the ICC’s Academy with the state-of-the-art facilities,” Khan said.
