ICC Women’s T20 WC trophy unveiled amid fanfare in Sharjah

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup trophy was unveiled at a glittering ceremony at the iconic Sharjah Cricket stadium on Wednesday.

The event was graced by Khalid Jasim Saif Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; Eisa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of Sharjah Sports Council; Waleed Bukhatir, Vice Chairman Sharjah Cricket and Member of Emirates Cricket Board; Khalaf Bukhatir, CEO Sharjah Cricket; Nasir Akram, Member of Sharjah Cricket and Mazhar Khan, General Manager of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be held from Oct.3-20. A total of 23 matches will be played across two venues – Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Dubai Cricket Stadium.

In his welcome speech, Waleed thanked the leadership of the country for their support in fostering cricket in the UAE in general and Sharjah Cricket Stadium in particular.

“I would like to thank our leaders for their unwavering support, as well as the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for giving us the opportunity to host this prestigious event.

“We have shown our capabilities as hosts by staging events like the Men’s Cricket World Cup, Under-19, and now the Women’s World Cup.

“We are proud to be realising the dream of visionary Abdulrehman Bukhatir, which allowed us to make these contributions to global cricket. Having a vast experience of staging world-class events, we are confident of churning out another top niche tournament,” added Waleed.

Recognising the contribution of cricket and Sharjah Cricket Stadium in making the Emirates a popular venue across the world, Hazami said: “Cricket is one of the most-followed sports in the world. It is a matter of great pride that the Sharjah Cricket Stadium has hosted the most One Day Internationals (ODIs) in the world.

“A lot of tourists visit Sharjah specifically to see this historic venue. Hosting the Women’s World Cup here will be another milestone in the long history of the stadium.

“The event will be watched by millions of fans from across the globe. I appreciate Abdulrehman Bukhatir for making this stadium, which has brought great honor to Sharjah.

“The Sports Council is proud to partner with Khalaf and Waleed Bukhatir in promoting sports as we share a common goal,” he added.

Midfa also lauded the contribution of cricket in promoting tourism in the emirates and making it top cricketing destination of the world.

“Sharjah Cricket Stadium holds the world record of hosting the highest number of international matches that is 299. This is something that we always promote,” he said.

Sharjah recently celebrated the hosting of 250 ODIs. Apart from ODIs, Tests and T20s if put together make up 299 international matches.

“You can imagine how people know the city because of sports like cricket. Look at the strength of this sport. We are always promoting it.

“We always partner with Khalaf and Waleed Bukhatir and the sports council. We are always partners to promote and we have a common goal,” he apprised.

“Hosting the first women’s World Cup is something really big. You see many people from around the world look at the achievements of women.

“They are waiting to see how this tournament is going to end up through these different matches that they are going to have. Of course, it has a very big value to us,” he added.

“Sharjah has hosted a lot of India-Pakistan matches, I think 43. Who hosted 43 in the world? Nobody, right. This is the most difficult one and most expensive also and crowded and difficult to manage.

“It is a big achievement. So, I am sure that Waleed and Khalaf are still planning to host more of these games because India and Pakistan people  wait for it from all around the world.

Mazhar Khan, General Manager of Sharjah Cricket, is upbeat with the prospect of hosting another world-class tournament at the venue.

“It is a great honor for us to host the ICC Women’s World Cup. For the past 45 years, Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been one of the most sought after the venues.

“This Women’s World Cup will be another feather in the cap of the stadium’s history, and we expect many thrilling encounters.

Thanks to the vision of Abdulrehman Bukhatir, we have achieved so much. Recently, we hosted our 250th ODI matches, we are just one short of reaching another milestone – 300 international matches.”