Officials laud SCC’s 40-year legacy of excellence

Sharjah: Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of Sharjah Sports Council (SSC) and Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) visited Sharjah Cricket Stadium and expressed their satisfaction with the venue’s preparations for the IPL 2020 tournament, which started on Saturday.

They added that hosting a global sporting event of this calibre firmly re-affirms Sharjah’s presence on the global sporting map.

Majid Hamad Al Suwaidi, Manager (Overseas Promotions Department), SCTDA, also accompanied them on the tour of the new, improved facilities.

The officials acknowledged and appreciated the incredible vision and work of Sharjah Cricket stadium to bring world acclaim and recognition to Sharjah since the 1980’s. Today the emirate of Sharjah is globally recognised in the cricketing and sports world as a result.

Hosting the delegation were Waleed Bukhatir, Vice Chairman of Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Khalaf Bukhatir, Managing Director of Bukhatir Group and CEO of Sharjah Cricket Stadium, who acknowledged the efforts of the government to encourage sport at the highest level and thanked them for their support and guidance.

The first match from the upcoming IPL 2020 league to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on Sept.22. The stadium will also be hosting some classic IPL rivalries this season including Royal Challengers Bangalore versus Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday the Oct.12 and Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians on Oct.23.

Earlier, Waleed Bukhatir, Vice Chairman of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, also expressed his delight over hosting the 13th edition of the IPL.

“Hosting one of the world class sporting event like Indian Premiere League (IPL) in our historic SCS is a great privilege for us and we can not wait to be on board with the most exciting franchise teams in the world,” said Waleed.

“For SCS, we have always been ready for such events as we have state of the art facilities and we are all glad to welcome this exhilarating tournament to Sharjah.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium has the tag for producing electrifying atmosphere among SCS, though as much as we like to see the houseful days of 2014.

“As per the directives and guidance of UAE Government which is safety of the public should come first for any events, the same will be followed by protocols laid by the Government and officials,” he added.

SCS holds the world record for hosting the most numbers of One day international in the history of the game. The iconic stadium has hosted 236 ODIs. It has witnessed some of the most exciting and exhilarating finishes in the game, which also includes the final of the Austral-Asia Cup in 1986 when Pakistan’s batsman Javed Miandad hit a six off India’s Chetan Sharma on the final ball of the match to help the Green Brigade beat Kapil Dev-led Team India by one wicket.

Among the other most memorable matches played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium are the semi-final and final of the Coca Cola Cup, wherein Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar single –handedly took India to the final and then led them to title with two consecutive centuries, which remains the highlight of the legend’s decorated career.