Cricket, a popular expatriate sport in the UAE, is grinding to a halt in Dubai.The Dubai Cricket Council (DCC), which stages nearly 500 matches every year at its headquarters in the Al Jadaf area, will have to vacate the premises on Monday night. This is in response to the eviction notice given by the Dubai Muncipality last year.
Is the closure of the ground a mistake? Has the decision affected you? Will cricket in Dubai ever be revived? Is Dubai - as the home of the ICC - doing enough to promote grass roots cricket in the UAE?
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With cricket gradually getting into its stride in the UAE it is a pity that this unfortunate situation has taken place. Reading the newspapers you get a feel for the large number of expatriates who enjoy playing the game during their free time. What would all these players do if they did not have grounds to play on? With ICC headquarters also being shifted to the UAE something should be done to promote cricket rather than let it die out here. Also, with the UAE hoping to stage a World Cup tournament in the near future the authorities should definitely attempt to resolve this problem quickly so that many up-and-coming cricketers in Dubai don't lose interest.
Perera
By Email
Dubai is getting very famous for Cricket nowadays, the major chunk of it's activities are happening at DCC grounds at Jeddaff. After 6 day?s long tense days of work most of the players are coming out here to play a game for relaxation and making friendship with other people. Due to the new construction all of these grounds are vanishing. My request to the authorities is that to build similar facilities for the enthusiastic youngsters to play cricket.
Johnson
Dubai
Cricket has come to Dubai as a great source of sporting pleasure for many nationalities. Whilst the government wonders about how to stop its youth from going too fat, and later to obesity related diseases, the Sports Minister will, without doubt, see the value of sponsoring school cricket as a means of boys and girls getting healthy exercise. I am confident that the intelligence and integrity of the government decision makers will cause them to see this, and other sports, as a great way to save their children from life long illnesses. When the government makes cricket facilities for the school children all the lucky ex pats who live in Dubai will also have a cricket ground again.
Timothy
by Email
Having been the Vice Captain of the UAE and the captain of many clubs, including DCC Starlets, Farooq's Cricket Club and ECB Colts, I see the road for future of Dubai Cricket and UAE cricket very dark and gloomy. I have personally worked with the DCC authorities during the start of the groundbreaking ceremony for the grass grounds as well the growth of talent among kids born in this very country regardless of being Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan or UAE Nationals. I have seen the love of cricket in each and every kids and grown ups eyes. regardless of the Culture or race every one would come togather on these very grounds and enjoy thoroughly a game of Cricket.
My appeal is to the government authorities to intervene and provide the kids and grownups and lovers of cricket with a permanent home for cricket to have the domestic and friendly game of cricket. I love the game as a UAE National and so do many other nationals and other nationalities.
We all need to get up and do something to save our beloved game.
Adel Faisal Farooq
Dubai
Thousands of cricket players and cricket lovers in Dubai are shocked with this cruel reality. The authorities should wake up and act in time to set up new facility before the start of next season in September.
Shafeek
Dubai
I used to play at DCC grounds every other week during winter and spring season with my Bank's team. It isthe municipality?s responsibility to provide alternate facilities to the players before ordering the Dubai Cricket Council to vacate the premises. There are already limited sports facilities available in Dubai and this step will further harm the image of the city. Rather, Dubai needs an international level cricket ground similar to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Salman Jawaid
Dubai
The closure of the Al Jaddaf cricket area located in the prime up-scale "Zabeel East" neighbourhood of Dubai is a huge mistake from the UAE cricket fraternity's point of view. This decision has widely affected me and my club Al Badar CC because we have also lost our high-valued and much sought after 17-year-old playing field known as 'Young Veterans Cricket Club Ground', the history, traditions, values, standards and background of which could only be encompassed in a well-written and researched book. In fact, we were the first to design, build, operate, maintain and to date run our said ground in the Al Jaddaf area since way back in 1988-89, while others including the DCC followed.
Nevertheless, cricket in Dubai could only be revived and uplifted with tangible "Show Me Results" if the people at the helm of cricket affairs as well as command and control in Dubai in general and UAE in particular, project the vision as well as the mission to promote cricket the right way on a non-profit and non-commercial basis, akin to the true sportsman spirit. They should strive hard to provide enviable cricket facilities right from the grass roots to test level, to everybody and anybody based on merit and merit only.
As far as ICC is concerned, they could for sure help to bring back the "Sights and Sounds" of Dubai cricket but in order to do that, they too have to show the courage, the grit as well as the guts to know, realise and utilize their authority, stature and power accordingly.
Last but not the least, sitting currently at a distance of more than 10,000 miles from Dubai but having spent more than 15 long years of my youthful life as an insider playing and promoting cricket in that part of the world, I wish all UAE cricketers the best of luck especially the Dubai cricketers. I do hope and pray that they should be able to carry on with their healthy cricket activities on and off the field in the days to follow at some new place similar or even better than the Al Jaddaf area that has now become part of history.
Aamir A. Salaria
Missouri, USA
Really, it is a pity that in the city where the ICC has its headquarters, there are no grounds for local cricketers to play. For those who have been playing on these grounds for so many years, we are witness to seeing them destroyed one by one. And surprisingly, no comments have come from the ICC on this. It seems they are only concerned about financial matters and nothing else. They should have talked to the government and asked to at least provide an alternate land to build new grounds. Unless the government gives a new place, it is impossible for cricket to be revived in Dubai. The Sports Minister should take notice of this matter and should come up with some solution.
Yogeesh
Dubai
