Leading the way

Abu Dhabi: Off-shore cricket venues around the world should take a leaf out of Abu Dhabi Cricket Club's book. Thursday's twinning agreement between the Abu Dhabi Cricket Club (ADCC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is another step in dispelling the myth that off-shore cricket venues can only survive if they can play host to events involving India and Pakistan.

Like in every other cricket venue, be it offshore venues or those in cricket-playing countries, roping in India as a team and with Pakistan being the preferred team, efforts were concentrated towards this end.

But Dilawar Mani, the chief executive of UAE cricket, seems to have changed all that. Maintaining a lush-green and modern facility in a nation where cricket is still an "expat sport" with the locals just beginning to take to the game, is certainly a huge task.

But by keeping the ground busy with junior level international matches and throwing it open to clubs and counties from the United Kingdom, "sources of income" were diversified.

Delighted

Delighted with the pact with MCC, Mani said: "Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of ADCC, shares our passion for the game. We are trying to expand it.

"We all know the game is passionately followed by the sub-continent. The game of cricket is bigger than that. We also have to reach out to countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa and make them part of our cricketing activity.

"Once teams from the MCC come here it will help in more expatriates and UAE nationals taking to the game. It will bring in the much-needed diversity to the game here," said Mani, who has seen Abu Dhabi host teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Australia and now New Zealand. England also used the facilities here during the break in their tour of India following the Mumbai blasts last year.

Mani said: "The MCC run many academies and they also run the university cricket. So obviously their teams will be coming here which will boost our game.

"In terms of the academy, I am looking to the MCC to guide us to the next level. They are doing a lot of work at Lords and can bring some of their programmes here. And that would be fantastic for our children, our youth.