Cricket season is upon us, and with the UAE hosting the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka series, there has never been a better time to be a cricket lover in the capital. We caught up with CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket Club Dilawar Mani to see what’s in store for this exciting season.
Could you tell us a bit about the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka series?
We are hosting it on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Teams are reluctant to travel to Pakistan at the moment, so the country has adopted the UAE as a base for the series – which is great for us. The teams played the first Test in Abu Dhabi from October 18 to 22, after which they moved on to Dubai to play the second Test, and after that they will move on to Sharjah to play the third. It’s great that we are getting these games in Abu Dhabi. There is a huge Pakistani community in the UAE, so we are expecting the matches to be exiting and well attended, and hopefully we will get to see some really great cricket.
Is there much of a cricket following in Abu Dhabi?
Cricket in Abu Dhabi has been played for a long time; I moved here in 1981, and cricket was already in existence here then. Of course, we didn’t have an international stadium then and it has really grown rapidly over the years – we now host more than 500 games every year, which includes interschool tournaments. We have 62 teams registered in Abu Dhabi at the moment, with most games played in Zayed Sports Stadium. Teams follow the game passionately, and take it extremely seriously. All tournaments are sponsored, and they carry very generous prize money, so they play very serious cricket to win that. They play for the pride and the prize.
What are you most looking forward to about the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka series?
Obviously, I am hoping for an extremely competitive series; Sri Lanka have some excellent players in their squad, players with such good track records that anyone would be so proud to support them. They have played very, very good cricket in recent years. Pakistan is in the process of rebuilding their team with some experienced players mixing with new faces. They also have extremely talented players that will make for an exciting series.
When you have the One Day Internationals along with the Twenty20, it’s far from boring – they are really great formats. I am a purist, and I love Test cricket. Test cricket brings out the ability of a player to concentrate for a long period of time and essentially it uses all their cricketing skills because it is played over five days. Their focus has to remain dedicated the whole time, it is literally a test. I am really looking forward to it!
What can spectators expect from the series?
I think they can expect a decent crowd for the International day/night game and a buzzing atmosphere. When the stadium is full the atmosphere is electric, with spectators rooting for their team. The Sri Lankan fans love the music, and I am hoping that will be a part of the atmosphere.
Anything else fans can look forward to?
We are really looking forward to the England vs Pakistan series in January and February. The England team arrives early on January 3 so they will be around for some time before the Test starts. The First Test starts on January 17. They play in Dubai and then Abu Dhabi, and then go back to Dubai; we are looking forward to a host of exciting games. England is the number one team in the world today, so we are hoping Pakistan will put up a good fight and give them a run for the money. We’ve really got some great games coming up, and it’s great news for cricket fans here in the UAE.
Tickets for the series can be bought at Abu Dhabi Cricket. For a full schedule of matches, visit www.cricschedule.com. Abu Dhabi Cricket Club, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, www.adcricketclub.ae (02 558 8331).
