UAE can stage major events: Mani

Dubai: "The UAE has the infrastructure to host major cricket events. It is unfortunate to see this country, which has a huge following for the game, being starved of international cricket," remarked International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani.

"Sharjah has played a very big role over the years in rewarding players. No cricket board has done what the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) did for former cricketers. The biggest losers were former cricketers who used to get cheques of $25,000 and $50,000 through the event staged here," added Mani, who is hopeful that UAE will stage major ICC events soon.

"The ICC has just sent out a note to all its member countries asking them to register their interest in hosting ICC events from 2007 to 2015. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have excellent stadiums. Dubai will also have a big stadium soon. With these three stadiums, UAE can easily host major ICC events," he said.

When asked if the UAE could be granted permission to host the 2008 Champions Trophy, Mani said: "I am happy with the infrastructure here. UAE can easily host the Champions Trophy, ICC Under-19 World Cup and even the Women's World Cup."

Mani even suggested that UAE can stage the World Cup cricket tournament. "World Cup is too big an event for UAE to host all by themselves. We need a minimum of eight venues though ideally we like matches to be played in 12 venues. UAE is not far away from any of the sub-continent countries. If people have the vision they can try and stage the matches together," he said.

"Hosting events like the Champions Trophy or Under 19 World Cup will have a big impact on the development of the game in this country. It will raise the profile of the game here and get more people interested. UAE must be able to attract local indigenous Arab people to play the game. Staging of such international events will make them view the game seriously."

Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, President of Emirates Cricket Board, had recently announced that Sharjah will soon host an international Twenty20 tournament.

Mani welcomed the move but said ICC is still in the process of recognising the Twenty20 form of the game.

"We are conducting our studies on staging Twenty20 at the international level. It will be discussed at our board meeting in March. Personally I feel Twenty20 could be a great game for young children We have tried different variations of the game like sixes and seven-a-side version of the game as a development tool.

"Twenty20 fits in very nicely even in countries like the United States where a baseball game is of the same duration of three and a half hours," he revealed.

Talking about the upcoming India-Pakistan series and India's reluctance to play in Karachi, Mani said: "I was present in Karachi during the India-Pakistan one-day match in Karachi. India won the match after Pakistan gave a great chase. The crowd cheered the Indian team after the match. I feel there should not be any such perception about this venue," remarked Mani.

"We have to accept the fact that we live in a situation where bomb blasts can take place anywhere. Bomb blasts have taken place in London as well as in New Delhi. We cannot allow these terrorists to tell us where to and where not to play. The security of the players is very important and the level of security provided in Karachi during the last tour was excellent," he said.

"People in Karachi understand and appreciate cricket. They also respect the touring teams," pointed out Mani.