When it comes to cricket, Sharjah Cricket Stadium holds a special place in the hearts of many fans and stars of the sport. It was here that the first Asia Cup was held in 1984, which India won.
Founded in 1983 to promote goodwill among Asian nations, three countries – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – participated in the first Asia Cup. The opening match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, on April 6, 1984, became the first officially recognised ODI or one-day international at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
India lifted the Asia Cup that year, led by captain and batsman Sunil Gavaskar. The country now holds the record for the most wins of the biennial tournament, having won eight times, including the most recent one held in 2023. Sri Lanka comes second, with six wins.
The Asian Cricket Council, which is based in Dubai, organises the Asia Cup, which now encompasses 30 member associations. It is affiliated to the International Cricket Council, the global governing body.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium has since hosted the Asia Cup twice more, in 1995 and 2022, when it co-hosted tournaments with Dubai International Stadium.
Emirati businessman Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, popularly known as the father of cricket in the UAE, founded Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the early 1980s with the support of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.
Taken by the sport while at school in Karachi, Pakistan, Bukhatir went on to establish its roots in the UAE.
“I played football first, but in Karachi I was introduced to cricket by my neighbours,” he told The National in 2022. "Surprisingly I found I was pretty good at it. I was bitten by the bug.
"I came back to a UAE where cricket was a non-starter except for a couple of teams at the Royal Air Force base. I got a few like-minded people together and we started playing on matting wickets. My friends were amused by my obsession but also intrigued.”
Sharjah Cricket Stadium still holds the world record for the most ODIs staged at a single venue, a feat recognised by Guinness World Records in 2010. The stadium, which has a capacity of about 16,000, has undergone various improvements over the years, most significantly in 2011 when it hosted its first international match in eight years and then again in 2014 before it hosted its first Indian Premier League (IPL) games.
Today, Sharjah Cricket Stadium may not reflect the modernity of other cricket grounds but it has a history. It's where the glamour in cricket could be found in the 1980s and 1990s, when film stars, musicians and fabulously wealthy businessmen congregated for matches.
In 2023, it renamed its West Stand the Sachin Tendulkar Stand, in honour of the Indian batting great, who first played at the venue in 1998 in what became known as “Desert Storm”, as the match was briefly interrupted by a sandstorm.
Tendulkar in turn paid tribute to the “special venue”. He said: “Playing in Sharjah has always been a magnificent experience. From the electrifying atmosphere to the love, affection and support, Sharjah has been a special venue for Indian cricket fans and lovers of the game from around the globe. It's given us so many special moments.”
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
AL%20BOOM
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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