The iconic Burj Khalifa lights up in Women's T20 World Cup colours. Photo: X

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

The UAE has become the most sought-after destination to stage world-class events since the outbreak of the COVID-19, living up to the billing of being a safe haven.

Every time the UAE has been entrusted with the responsibility of hosting any event in case of some or other catastrophe – whether it is an outbreak of a pandemic like COVID-19 or some political upheaval in any part of the world – it has delivered a smooth and flawless tournament.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, a number of major sporting events like MMA, BWF badminton series, Indian Premier League, T20 World Cup in 2021 and Asia Cup were shifted to the UAE.

This time round it is ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which has been transferred to the UAE at the eleventh hour, due to political instability in Bangladesh. The showpiece event, which will be held from Oct.3 was launched by the ICC amid fanfare in Dubai with an official press conference.

The occasion was graced by ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice, Zaid Abbas, Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) Board Member and Khalid Al Awar, Director of Communication and Marketing at Dubai Sports Council along with the representative from media fraternity.

Abbas gave credit to the support from the leadership for meeting the challenges of hosting such big events on a large scale that too at such a short notice.

“We have been able to deliver a successful event every time because of the immense support of our government and the wealth of experience in staging such events.

“The UAE has been a host to cricket matches for over 40 years. With that kind of experience, it becomes easy to deal with such huge logistical and security challenges,” informed Abbas.

Sharjah International Cricket Stadium holds the record for hosting the most number of ODIs whereas Dubai International Cricket Stadium has the distinction of staging the most number of T20s.

Meanwhile, as the impasse continues over the participation of India in the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan, the speculations are rife that the tournament is likely to be shifted to the UAE as well.

In the last edition of the Asia Cup, which was hosted by Pakistan, India had refused to play there owing to the political tension between the two south Asian giants.

The tournament was played in hybrid form as India’s matches were shifted to Sri Lanka. The UAE was in contention but due to the weather it was moved to Lanka. Prior to that, the 2018 edition of the Asia Cup was moved to the UAE as Pakistan had refused to go to India because of the security concern.

Going by history, it is being speculated that the Champions Trophy can be moved to the UAE if the stalemate over India’s participation continues. However, Allardice ruled out any such plans.

“As of now, the Champions Trophy is scheduled to be staged in Pakistan and we have no such plans to move it out of there. We are trying to find a solution but for the time being we are sticking to the same plans,” said Allardice.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) also announced accessible priced match tickets starting from just Dhs5 and free entry for those under 18, as part of an initiative to leave a legacy of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, the first global women’s cricket event to be held in the region.

Allardice, who made the announcement at a media conference, also praised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a venue.

“One of the exciting things about the UAE is its diversity. It’s a place where the entire world is represented! This means that this is effectively a home World Cup for all 10 teams and players can enjoy the support of passionate fans.

“With that in mind, I’m delighted to announce today that tickets will be available from just Dhs5 and under 18s will go free. We will also be working with the ECB and the Dubai Sports Council on the legacy of the event.

“We will be holding criio festivals to give more than 500 girls the chance to get involved in the game and have a fun first experience of cricket,” said Allardice, who thanked the ECB for hosting the tournament after it was moved from Bangladesh.

“I would like to thank the ECB and our friends at the Dubai Sports Council as well as the teams at the Dubai International Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium for their extraordinary efforts,” added Allardice,  who also released a video of a spectacular laser show on the tournament at the iconic Burj Khalifa.

Awar said: “The UAE in general and Dubai in particular hosting the Women’s Cricket World Cup highlights Dubai’s distinguished position in the world of sports.

“Dubai and the UAE continue to affirm their position as one of the most successful countries in the world in their ability to host and organise the largest international tournaments and the strongest international competitions,” he added.

The 10-team tournament, being held from Oct.3-20, will see a champion team emerge after 23 matches spread across the 18 days.

The 20 league matches will be split between Dubai and Sharjah with the semifinals slated for Oct.17 in Dubai and Oct.18 in Sharjah. The final will be played in Dubai.

Group A includes six-time champions Australia, along with India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies, and Scotland.