Asia Cup: Can UAE become permanent venue for jinxed event?

The UAE is abuzz again — for the second time this year — for a marquee international cricket event, with the Asia Cup set to be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from 9-28 September. It looked almost a done deal even when the ICC Champions Trophy was being co-hosted by UAE and Pakistan earlier this year, once again underlining the growing importance of the associate member country as important hosts.

A look at the eclectic variety of contests that the Gulf country has hosted, especially in the new millennium, has made all and sundry acknowledge that cricket has a new home — free of the tension of geopolitics, three international stadia, and excellent logistical back-up.

The Asia Cup, in particular, shares a historic bond with the UAE since Sharjah played host to the first-ever edition way back in 1984 as a three-team affair between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka soon after the formation of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

What’s more, all the prominent member countries of the Asian body have a huge diaspora there — which perhaps makes a case for them considering the UAE as a permanent home for the Asia Cup. Under the current system, it’s meant to be held on rotation between at least four members: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but the bar on India and Pakistan not travelling to each other's countries has seen far too many flipflops over venues in recent times.

Each time, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has stepped in at short notice and a number of old-timers of the country’s cricket ecosystem feel that making the UAE a part of the Asia Cup calendar may be a ‘win-win’ situation.

Speaking to National Herald, Mazhar Khan, a former administrator of the cricket board and general manager of Sharjah Cricket Stadium, tried to put the issue in perspective: ‘’It’s not only about India-Pakistan matches here. Even as the anticipation is building up about the Asia Cup, Sharjah has been hosting the tri-series to nearly packed houses to watch Pakistan and Afghanistan in action. The two will be playing the final as well and we expect a full house... this is what the demographics of the UAE can ensure for you.’’

A true insider in UAE cricket for half-a-century now, Mazhar has been a confidante of Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, the man credited with taking international cricket to the desert. ‘’Soon after the ACC was formed in New Delhi in 1983, Bukhatir showed exemplary vision when he convinced the decision-makers to stage the first Asia Cup in Sharjah.

"We have come a long way since then as a cricketing destination, with all the incentives required — three venues in close proximity which means no air travel, excellent training facilities, hotels etc. What stops the ACC from giving us a permanent place for the Asia Cup every two years?’’ asks Mazhar, a recipient of the ICC Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shyam Bhatia, a well-known industrialist and cricket enthusiast who has made Dubai his home for 60 years, echoes similar sentiments. His cricket museum nestled in his villa, arguably one of the few private initiatives in the world, has won praise from the who’s who of the game, while the octogenarian still has a VIP Box in Sharjah — a legacy from the Asia Cup days.

‘’I have been privy to the start of the Asia Cup here and have witnessed the India-Pakistan classics which are now part of cricket’s folklore. I think it’s a more practical idea to make the UAE a permanent venue for this event. The member nations may initially resist the idea but let’s face it, all the stakeholders of the tournament actually make their money from broadcast rights rather than the gate receipts. It’s assured thanks to their long term deals,’’ said Bhatia, whose 'Cricket for Care' initiative has provided kits for hundreds of underprivileged children throughout the world over the years.

"The ACC is located inside the ICC headquarters in Dubai and receives grants from the world governing body too. It should not be impossible to convince the Asian body to move the event on a permanent basis here,’’ he signed off.