Sharjah: Sharjah Cricket Council has hailed the success and popularity of its facilities as five tournaments are currently being held at the emirate’s Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Al Dhaid Cricket Village venues, with three more set to begin soon.
This is in addition to the Sharjah council staging matches in the Emirates Cricket Board’s KFC Twenty20 league and also hosting many private tournaments.
Sharjah Cricket Council secretary and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) administrator Mazhar Khan told Gulf News: “Every day eight matches are being held, with 16 domestic teams playing at the two venues. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is used for day as well as night matches, while Al Dhaid’s five grounds, including the floodlit turf wicket, are being used every day.”
The ongoing tournaments are the Bukhatir League B Division Twenty20, the Sharjah Invitation tournament, AJ Invitation, Al Dhaid Gold Cup and Al Dhaid Twenty20. “All these tournaments are reaching the final stages and we are also gearing up to host the Sharjah Sixes tournament. On average we stage about nine tournaments every season, including inter-school and inter-academy tournaments for different age categories, which have already been completed this season,” Khan said.
“All our grounds are the busiest in the UAE, with Afghanistan using Sharjah Cricket Stadium as their home ground and teams like Scotland, Kenya and Uganda playing their international and practice matches here.
“And recently we hosted private tournaments like the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) and Desert Premier League. Though they are private tournaments held under the auspices of our council, it is our staff including umpires and officials who officiate.”
Plans to create one more turf wicket at the Al Dhaid Cricket Village have also been announced. “We will be investing over Dh50,000 to improve the existing lighting at the Al Dhaid ground and will also create one more turf wicket with excellent floodlights,” Khan said.
Sharjah Cricket Council is also preparing for a special occasion next year, when it will stage the Bukhatir League A Division tournament’s 40th edition. “This A Division tournament is the UAE’s oldest tournament and next year it will complete four decades. It is a special moment for us and we will celebrate this historic landmark achievement,” Khan said.
Even the Bukhatir League B Division event is being held for the 19th year this year. It has now reached the final stage, with Phoenix Medicine set to meet Multiplex. It would be a rare honour for Phoenix if they were to win, as they have already bagged the Bukhatir League A Division title.
In the 19th AJ Invitational tournament, Phoenix CC trounced Ani XI on Top by 77 runs. Phoenix also recorded an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Willows Cricket Club in the Al Dhaid Twenty20 tournament. However, in the Sharjah Invitation tournament, Mulk Royal Panthers snapped Phoenix’s run with an exciting two-wicket win.
Top performances in the Sharjah tournaments include Ryan Hinds of Wings XI taking five for 12 to down ECB Green by five wickets in the Al Dhaid Gold Cup, and Ayoub Inayat cracking 93 runs for Phoenix against Ani XI on Top.
