A huge portion of Abu Dhabi’s expatriate population is hooked on cricket – the recent Jazz Cup test matches and one-day internationals between Pakistan and England proved as much. Every passing encounter between citizens of these two nations boiled down to the same question: ‘You like cricket?’ Admittedly, it nearly always does anyway, but more so than ever during January and February.
If you didn’t manage to get your fix during the Cup, all is not lost, because from Tuesday March 13 to Saturday March 24, the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Qualifier will be staged in the UAE, across venues in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai, where the main bulk of the action will take place – including the final qualifying matches.
‘It’s the newest and shortest version of the sport, matches are over in three or so hours,’ says Tim Anderson, 33-year-old global development manager at the International Cricket Council.
He explains there’s plenty to watch during the 12-day event: ‘There are two games a day at every venue, and the teams playing are the best in the world outside the top ten full members. Anyone who has an interest in cricket would be keen to see people playing from some weird and wonderful places such as Papa New Guinea, Uganda, Ireland, Afghanistan – and if you’re new to cricket this is a chance to get involved and have a look.’
So while cricket fans in the UAE have been treated to some of the biggest stars in international cricket during the recent Pakistan-England series, they will have the chance to see some of the leading names outside of the Test-playing-world this month – and all without spending a dirham because entry to every match throughout the qualifier is free.
‘We had the same event here two years ago, but the number of teams has changed since then. That was an eight-team competition, this is a 16-team competition so it’s much bigger,’ Anderson explains. The 16 teams taking part have been divided into two groups with Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal forming Group A and Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and the USA comprising Group B.
If you were hoping to support some locally-grown talent, however, you will be disappointed, since the UAE failed to qualify at the Asia qualifying event last year.
Competition format
The sides that top the two groups will feature in the 1st Qualifying Final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 22 at 2pm, with the winner securing automatic qualification to the main event. Meanwhile, the sides that finish second and third in the two groups will play cross-over matches. The two winners of those matches will progress to the Preliminary Final, to be played on March 23 at 10am at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The 2nd Qualifying Final will take place on the morning of March 24 at 10am, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between the loser of the 1st Qualifying Final and the winner of the Preliminary Final, with the winner progressing through to the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, which runs September 18-October 7. The winner of the event will be put in a group with Australia and the West Indies. The runner-up will face India and England.
Must-watch matches
In the group stages, expect a fantastic crowd at Sharjah for the match between Afghanistan and Nepal (March 16), while the games between Afghanistan-Netherlands (March 14) and Ireland-Scotland (March 18) should also be exciting. The finals weekend, March 22-24, is also set to see some thrilling matches, with large crowds expected following the success of the 2010 event – which had more than 6,000 fans in attendance for some key games.
Players to watch
One of the best known names on show will be Kevin O’Brien, who hit a stunning 50-ball hundred against England at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, to help record one of the biggest shocks in cricket history. The Afghan trio of Hamid Hassan (subject to fitness), Mohammad Nabi and Mohammad Shahzad are all names to watch out for, while other notable players include the likes of Ashes 2005 star Geraint Jones, who will represent Papua New Guinea, and David Hemp, who plays for Bermuda.
Entrance to all matches at the ICC World Twenty20 2012 qualifier is free, with matches taking place at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Global Cricket Academy and Dubai Sports City Stadium in Dubai. Visit www.icc-cricket.com for fixtures.
