Stadium to be ready by October

Dubai: The Dubai cricket stadium, which is being built at the Dubai Sports City, will be ready by October 2008.

Top officials of the International Cricket Council (ICC) visited the construction sites of the stadium and the ICC Global Cricket academy on Wednesday and gave their stamp of approval to the progress.

"It is a great improvement on what I saw during my last visit in September. I am sure this world class stadium and the state-of-the-art academy will be completed on time," Ray Mali, the ICC president, told Gulf News.

Mali was accompanied by David Morgan, who is set to take over as the next ICC president, Ehsan Mani, the former ICC president and Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive.

Impressed by the hectic construction, Morgan said: "Even at this stage of construction, it is very clear that it will be a significant stadium which will have its own charm."

Speed too expressed his appreciation for the stadium. "It will be truly a world class stadium. The ICC will certainly encourage teams to play here as often as possible."

Ehsan Mani, who along with Speed had attended the ground breaking ceremony for the stadium and the academy in May 2005, is confident that the stadium will go on to become one of the most magnificent sports infrastructure in the world.

"I have seen this site when it was nothing more than a desert with a few camels roaming around. It is exciting to see the progress," he said.

U. Balasubramaniam, the Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Sports City, confirmed that the work of the stadium and the academy is on schedule.

"The stadium will be operational by October 2008. The pitch is almost ready and the seats in the pavilion and the lights will be fixed by July," he said.

Big boost

Mali is hopeful that the stadium and the academy will give a big boost to cricket in the UAE.

"It will surely stimulate cricket in the UAE and will make the children get interested in the game. The academy will not only help the elite players from different parts of the world but it will also help the developing players from the associate and affiliate countries," said Mali.

Morgan too feels that when top cricketers start playing here, more youngsters in the UAE will be attracted to the game.

Mani is hopeful that the stadium and academy may also attract UAE nationals.

"The ICC and the Emirates Cricket Board must really take advantage of these facilities here to help the game reach the UAE nationals. It is very important for the growth of the game in this region," he said.

Progress card