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Stadiums in UAE to operate at 70 pc capacity for T20 World Cup

Stadiums in UAE to operate at 70 pc capacity for T20 World Cup1

The tournament kicks off with the Round 1 match between Oman and Papua New Guinea in Muscat…reports Asian Lite News

All UAE venues will be operating at approximately 70 per cent of maximum seated capacity in the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup, said the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday.

Tickets are available for fans to watch the top 16 T20 teams in the world vying for the ultimate prize in the shortest format which gets underway in Muscat on October 17 and is set to conclude in the UAE on November 14.

Stadiums in UAE to operate at 70 pc capacity for T20 World Cup

Moreover, Abu Dhabi has also introduced new socially distanced ‘pods’ of a maximum of 4 spectators on their east and west grass mounds. The Oman Cricket Academy has had a temporary infrastructure built to welcome 3,000 fans.

“We are delighted to be welcoming fans back to international cricket in both Oman and the UAE to enjoy the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Our thanks to our hosts BCCI, Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and Oman Cricket as well as the local governments in these regions for their support in ensuring fans could attend in a safe environment,” said ICC acting CEO Geoff Allardice in a statement.

“The biggest sporting spectacle to have ever taken place in the region deserved to be played out in front of passionate cricket fans from all 16 nations competing and we are doing everything possible to keep it safe for all. It has been five years since the last Men’s T20 World Cup and we can’t wait for the world’s best players to arrive in Oman and the UAE and showcase the very best of T20 cricket,” he added.

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Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary BCCI, said, “I am delighted that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be played in front of cheering fans both in the UAE and Oman. My sincere thanks to the government of the UAE and Oman for paving the way for fans to return. The anticipation for the World Cup, which is taking place after five years, is building with each passing day.”

“I am sure we will have fans coming from different parts of the world to support their team. The vibe they will create will boost the performances on the field. The ticket sales have started, and I urge everyone to stay safe and follow the health advisories and savour the experience,” he added.

According to the statement, the ICC and event host BCCI has worked closely with host authorities to ensure fans can be welcomed in a safe environment and COVID 19 protocols will apply at all venues.

Stadiums in UAE to operate at 70 pc capacity for T20 World Cup1

The schedule offers a host of key rivalry fixtures and mouth-watering matchups. The tournament kicks off with the Round 1 match between Oman and Papua New Guinea in Muscat.

Whilst, Australia and South Africa play the first match of Super 12s on 23 October in Abu Dhabi followed by the replay of the 2016 final between England and West Indies also on 23 October in Dubai. One of cricket’s biggest rivalries, India and Pakistan, will take place on 24 October in Dubai.

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T20 World Cup set to be played in UAE from Oct 17

T20 World Cup

The three venues in the UAE that would be hosting the world cup are Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi…..reports Asian Lite News

T20 World Cup will be hosted by three venues in the UAE….reports Asian Lite News

The T20 World Cup is likely to start on October 17 in UAE, with the final on November 14. The Indian cricket board will be informing the International Cricket Council (ICC) about its decision to shift the 16-nation tournament to the UAE in its next meeting.

Three venues in UAE – Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai – will host the T20 World Cup games, with Oman hosting the qualifiers.

The BCCI wanted to host the T20 World Cup in India but two issues came in the way. It is learnt that they didn’t get any tax exemption from the Indian government. Also the BCCI wasn’t sure about how keen international players would be to return to India after the IPL was suspended because of Covid-19 cases in the bio-bubble.

During a virtual meeting with all state associations a few weeks ago, the board members were informed by BCCI office bearers that by shifting T20 World Cup to UAE, the board will save around 41 percent of total earnings.

The BCCI had already planned UAE as back up, with Oman to host the qualifiers. The board last month had even blocked hotel rooms and in conjunction with ICC had approached Oman Cricket Board to come on board.

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Oman Cricket in talks with BCCI to host T20 WC matches

Oman is one of 16 participating nations at this year’s T20 World Cup and cricket in the country is run entirely by a business conglomerate…reports Asian Lite News

International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are in talks with Oman Cricket over hosting of some of the T20 World Cup matches later this year in the gulf nation, a top Oman Cricket official has confirmed.

The ICC had, earlier this week, given BCCI a month’s time to show its readiness to host the tournament in October-November. With India’s chances to host it unlikely due to an expected third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, and things not improving drastically over the last few days, the world body has started to look at a venue besides United Arab Emirates (UAE) which is already on standby.

“We have been approached by ICC and the chairman of Oman Cricket, Pankaj Khimji, is in talks with the BCCI which is due to host the tournament,” Madhu Jesrani, the Oman Cricket secretary, said from Muscat.

“The talks with BCCI have just started. The ICC asked us for certain things that they are looking at in a hosting venue and we have given them the details. We have told them that we are ready. We have two turf pitch grounds, including one with floodlights,” added Jesrani.

Oman is one of 16 participating nations at this year’s T20 World Cup and cricket in the country is run entirely by a business conglomerate, Khimji Ramdas, which is an Indian-origin business family.

Jesrani said both the grounds are inside Muscat.

“The Al Amerat Cricket Stadium has floodlights and it is 15-20 km from the airport,” he added.

The ground was established in 2012 and has hosted ICC’s lower-division matches.

The BCCI has already announced that the remaining Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will be held in the UAE from mid-September to mid-October, which is the time when the T20 World Cup will start.

While there are concerns the pitches at the three UAE venues won’t last two tournaments (76 matches in total), the burden would be eased by shifting some games to another country like Oman.

On Tuesday, the ICC issued a statement saying, “The ICC Board has requested management [to] focus its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East.”

Jesrani says they will wait until June 28 when ICC’s deadline to BCCI expires.

“We are waiting till June 28 when the ICC deadline ends and a final decision will be made,” he said.

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