Sharjah Cricket Stadium remains the destination

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium, in the emirate of Sharjah in the UAE, was built in the early 1980s and very quickly became a regular home for tournaments as the popularity of one-day cricket exploded following India's World Cup win in 1983.

It all happened because of Abdulrahman Bukhatir's love for cricket. He introduced cricket in the desert and now the UAE has become a hub of cricket in the region.

Sharjah is going to host Indian Premier League (IPL) matches which is going to start on September 19.

Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium, Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host the IPL matches without fans.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly paid a visit to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday and lauded the ground for its new look and feel.
The former Indian captain declared that the stadium was IPL ready and remarked that the IPL's youngsters were eagerly looking forward to grace the historic venue.

Sharjah will be hosting some classic IPL matches this season such as Royal Challengers Bangalore versus Kolkata Knight Riders on October 12 and Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians on October 13.

The 2014 IPL was conducted in the UAE and some matches were played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The uniqueness of the Sharjah Stadium is that distance between boundary and the stands is quite short so the fans can enjoy all the action very closely. That's why matches in Sharjah are more entertaining.

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will always be the home of cricket for UAE residents. Undoubtedly a historic venue, it has hosted some of the most iconic matches of the gentleman's game in the past four decades.
The introduction of many top cricket superstars in the Sharjah Cricket Stadium had a strong impact on the modern day sporting culture in the UAE. It has also offered countless moments of cricketing brilliance which are cherished by cricket fans across the world.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium has hosted 264 international matches. This includes nine Tests, 241 ODIs and 14 T20Is. Sharjah Stadium is third on the list of grounds that hosted the most international matches featuring the likes of Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground. For a region which doesn't have a strong cricketing culture, it is an outstanding achievement.

Cricket fraternity cannot forget the Desert Storm in 1998, which blew away the Australians. One of the most remarkable knocks of Sachin Tendulkar's illustrious career was at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. His brilliant innings of 143 was a treat to watch and lives in the hearts of the thousands of spectators across the world.

Cricket lovers also cannot forget the last ball six by Javed Miandad against India in the final of Austral-Asia Cup in 1986.

It became the foundation of a very successful Pakistan cricket team, which went on to win the World Cup in 1992. Whenever the history of cricket will be written, this six at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be mentioned as the moment which changed the course of Pakistan vs India matches at least for the next decade or two.

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium Association always wants to improve facilities and the overall infrastructure at the stadium much to the delight of the cricket fans. Initially, the seating capacity at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium was only a few thousand. However, after the latest upgrade, the Sharjah cricket stadium capacity has reached 17,000.

Before the last edition of Pakistan Super League held in March 2019, the North Stand went through major rework. The VIP area, Sharjah Cricket Stadium's pool and health club were also refurbished. After embracing the latest format of cricket T10, Sharjah Cricket Stadium is all set to take centre stage once again in the world of international cricket.

-  liaqat@khaleejtimes.com