Kolkata: The top brass of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, checked into Dubai for what would be a long haul for them - starting with the UAE leg of Indian Premier League and then the T20 World Cup in October-November.
The headquarters of International Cricket Council (ICC) at the Dubai Sports City wore a busy look as the trophy tour of T20 World Cup got underway from their premises on Thursday. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Chairman of Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), Khalid Zarooni, vice-chairman of ECB, Jay Shah, secretary of BCCI and Geoff Allardyce of ICC posed with the World T20 trophy, the first round of which will begin in Muscat in Oman on October 17.
The World T20 is being held after a five-year gap as the 2020 edition, scheduled to be held Down Under, had to be shelved due to the raging Covid-19 pandemic. The BCCI remains the hosts of the upcoming edition of the World Cup, even though it's being held in Oman and the UAE.
With the UAE authorities opening up travel and upto 60 percent attendance in sports venues allowed, there is a strong possibility of both cricket showpieces being held in the presence of fans. Incidentally, a Fifa World Cup qualifier between the UAE and Lebanon is being played with fans at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai on Thursday.
