Fifteen years after the first 20-over World Cup, and five-and-a-half after the last one, the biggest cricket tournament to come to the region since, well, Friday is all set to commence.
Oman and Papua New Guinea facing off in front of around 3,000 people, mostly sat on temporary scaffolding stands at a charming ground in a suburb of Muscat, feels a little like a soft opening for a major event.
Tickets were not in quite such high demand for the opening day of the 2021 T20 World Cup as they have been for, say, one week later, when India and Pakistan are reacquainted in global competition.
When the official online platform went live for tickets for Dubai matches in this tournament, queues immediately numbered in the tens of thousands.
Various platforms have subsequently been advertising tickets for that specific fixture at a massively inflated rate. Even Virat Kohli says the shop is shut.
“I have always approached this game as just another game of cricket,” India’s captain said of the October 24 fixture against Pakistan.
“I know there is a lot of hype created around this game – more so in terms of ticket sales.
“Right now the value of those tickets are ridiculously high. Having friends asking me for tickets left, right and centre, and me saying ‘No’ is probably the only change that I experience to any other game.
“The environment is different on the outside. From a fans point of view, it is definitely louder, there is more excitement in the air.”
In many ways, having a World Cup shared between two neighbouring countries in the Arabian Gulf feels entirely fitting.
In a way, it represents cricket going beyond its traditional borders. This is the first time, after all, a World Cup will be played entirely outside of the Test-playing elite countries.
But it is not venturing overly far from its established roots, really. Oman and UAE are just a short skip from the game’s powerbase in the subcontinent, and both contain vast expatriate communities from those countries.
UAE in particular has felt like a World Cup host in waiting for years now – even if it is doing so this time on behalf of India.
It has hosted the Asia Cup in the past. It did its bit to help birth the Pakistan Super League, too.
It has staged at least part of the Indian Premier League three times, including the most recent final on Friday.
The Dubai International Stadium was filled to the 70 per cent capacity currently permissible by Covid safety measures for that showpiece fixture.
Thanks to the Chennai Super Kings supporters who took over the ground, it was a riot of colour, whistles, and general joy. It felt like the good old days were here again.
Because cricket in the UAE does, in fact, have pedigree, history, and “good old days.” In many ways, the “Cricketainment” propagated by tournaments like the IPL and even the T20 World Cup can be traced back to the height of Sharjah Cup cricket in the 1980s and 1990s.
T20 cricket itself suits the place, too. The modern, fast-paced version of the sport feels a neat fit with the edifices of the UAE – from the stunning futuristic architecture of the main stand in Abu Dhabi, to the “Ring of Fire” floodlighting in Dubai.
Even before this competition starts, Dubai International Stadium has staged more T20 internationals – 62 – than any other venue in the world. Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi is third on that list, while the ICC Academy in Dubai is fifth.
While the country gets set to welcome cricket’s greats for a festival of cricket over the next month, UAE cricketers themselves will be the ghosts at this feast.
Two years ago, back in a pre-Covid world when they thought they were trying to qualify for a tournament in Australia, UAE’s qualification hopes floundered amid a corruption scandal.
The fact they dominated one of the participating teams, Ireland, in warm up matches ahead of the competition last week, hardly salved those old wounds.
Of those who are here, who will win? Who knows. None of the story pointers go in the same direction.
England won the most recent global event, and might have been primed to do again here if they had Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer with them.
India are formidable, but must be running on fumes by now. Their leading players have been away from home for months.
Babar Azam, now Pakistan’s captain, has won 11 and lost 0 of all the T20 internationals he has played in UAE. But Pakistan have a losing record to India in both World Cups and T20Is.
So maybe we should all be remembering that name: West Indies. The defending champions are packed with power and T20 nous, plus most of their players have had some times time to acclimatise.
“Most of our guys got the chance to play in the IPL in the UAE, and we are trying to hit the ground running and start on that positive note,” Kieron Pollard, West Indies’ captain, said.
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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
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UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
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