Cricket village to be expanded

Al Dhaid : The Al Dhaid Cricket Village, which was officially inaugurated by Abdul Rahman Bukhatir yesterday, will be expanded further with the creation of a second turf wicket. Plans are also on to beautify the venue. It has emerged as a first class venue by hosting the ongoing Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Twenty20 Championship.

Bukhatir, who is the patron of the Sharjah Cricket Council, has instructed the officials not to cut off any of the palm trees for the creation of more grounds but uproot the them and plant them around each ground. This venue is nestled amidst hundreds of palm trees.

"We have plans to create this venue into a picturesque one. We want cricketers to come here with their families and enjoy," Waleed Bukhatir, the chairman of Al Dhaid Cricket Village, said.

"We will create facilities for barbecue and also have an area for children to play while matches are on. Floodlights have already been put up to promote night cricket so that cricketers can participate in tournaments after office hours," he added.

Water for maintaining the outfield and the turf is available from a well nearby. "Natural water has helped in the creation of an excellent outfield and a sturdy wicket. All the foreign teams that have played here were happy with the quality of the wicket," Bukhatir added.