With cricket fever in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaching epidemic proportions, Pakistan and Sri Lanka head for the final 2 games of this series to the emirate and city of Abu Dhabi. Whilst the series has been decided in favour of Pakistan at Sharjah, the fact remains that both teams will not spare any effort to play for pride in the last ODI on 23rd November. For Pakistan, the satisfaction of a comprehensive victory in front of what is expected to be a packed "home" crowd at the imposing Shiekh Zayed Cricket Stadium and for Sri Lanka, the opportunity to reduce the winning margin to a respectable level should make for an epic contest.
November 21, 2011
With cricket fever in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaching epidemic proportions, Pakistan and Sri Lanka head for the final 2 games of this series to the emirate and city of Abu Dhabi.
Whilst the series has been decided in favour of Pakistan at Sharjah, the fact remains that both teams will not spare any effort to play for pride in the last ODI on 23rd November. For Pakistan, the satisfaction of a comprehensive victory in front of what is expected to be a packed "home" crowd at the imposing Shiekh Zayed Cricket Stadium and for Sri Lanka, the opportunity to reduce the winning margin to a respectable level should make for an epic contest.
PakPassion.net had the unique pleasure to speak to the CEO of Emirates Cricket Board, Mr. Dilawar Mani, about his personal interest in the game, the challenges faced in hosting international teams and his vision for the development of cricket in the region.
PakPassion.net: Tell us a little about your background and how you came to head this organisation? Are you an avid cricket fan? Who would you rate as the best players currently?
Dilawar Mani: I am a Chartered Accountant by profession who came to the UAE in 1981 and was the Regional Director for an American multi-national from 1996 to 2005. With a strong background in Finance and Corporate Governance HE Sheikh Nahayan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Cricket and the UAE, asked me to head cricket, initially in Abu Dhabi and then UAE.
I am a fanatical cricket fan who carries player statistics on his finger tips. I also played at school, college and university level followed by league cricket in UK.
As far as best players are concerned, there are several favourites: Chirs Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Jacque Kallis, Dale Steyn, Shahid Afridi, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Shewag, Rahul Dravid, Shakib ul Hassan, Micheal Hussey and Daniel Vettori. I enjoy watching them for their skills and craftsmanship. I am fortunate to have seen many legends play and my all time favourite is Sir Garfield Sobers.
PakPassion.net: You must have been disappointed with the attendances for the Test match, why do you think that was and are you looking into ways of trying to improve that in future matches?
Dilawar Mani: We were not disappointed. In fact on Fridays and over Eid holidays the attendances were higher than expected. The reason for low attendances during the working week days was simply that people work and cannot take days off to watch cricket. This is true not just for the UAE but also in many other cricket playing nations. Maybe things will improve when test matches can be played in a day / night format.
PakPassion.net: A major ICC tournament like the T20 WC or 50 over WC must be a hope for the future in UAE?
Dilawar Mani: We shall be hosting 16 teams for the WCT20 Qualifiers in March 2012, and the Asian Cricket Council has also nominated UAE for the Men?s Elite Cup in April 2012.
Major tournaments as mentioned by you are presently the preserve of the ICC Full Members. I suspect that over time this may change since we can now boast of three world class venues. We are delighted at the opportunity to profile the UAE as a major facility for the cricketing world. We always put our name forward at every hosting possibility.
PakPassion.net: Does UAE cricket need to produce a local "superstar" to really ignite cricketing passions in the region?
Dilawar Mani: Cricket is also followed extremely passionately in the region though mostly played by the sub-continental population. We already have a few superstars in domestic cricket. However, it will not hurt to have another Waqar Younis from UAE - we would love to export another Waqar Younis to the world!
PakPassion.net: What kind of challenges have you faced in the organization of international series in Abu Dhabi?
Dilawar Mani: It is always a challenge to organise an international series. There is an immense amount of detail and micro matters that require focused attention. We have managed well so far with highly experienced teams at each venue. They all take pride in bearing their responsibilities and delivering the end product. When we face hurdles we overcome them since everyone has a positive attitude. Nothing that we have faced has been insurmountable.
PakPassion.net: Are you satisfied with the structure of domestic cricket in Abu Dhabi - What future plans do you have for promoting domestic cricket in Abu Dhabi?
Dilawar Mani: Domestic Cricket is progressing well in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. It is the nucleus from which the UAE team is selected. However, there is much more to be done e.g. annual inter-emirate A Division and inter-emirate Academy tournaments, introduction and involvement of more Emiratis to and in the game. We are working on all these initiatives and seeking the support of private academies to assist the spread and development of the sport. This will take time but we are confident that it will eventually happen.
PakPassion.net: How do you think Pakistan making UAE its 'home' has helped cricket in UAE and your organization?
Dilawar Mani: Obviously as the population is exposed to more and more international cricket there is an increased interest in the game. It also provides opportunities for some of our club cricketers to rub shoulders with famous internationals at practice sessions. Youngsters also get to watch their heroes and want to follow in their footsteps and emulate them.
The UAE is an associate member of the ICC and has the opportunity to learn from the best practices of all Full Members, not only Pakistan.
PakPassion.net: With more and more matches being played in Abu Dhabi do you think it is helping the infrastructure and are you seeing increase in number of junior cricketers?
Dilawar Mani: We started our MCC Zayed Cricket Academy in 2005 with an average base of 50 students. Today we have over 300 and many more on the waiting list. Our only constraint is that we run the academy on week-ends. We are contemplating increasing the number of days to accommodate all the students. We have upgraded the academy facility, built a ground dedicated for their use and are in the process of developing two additional turf facilities to continuously improve the infra-structure.
Our inter-school cricket tournament is growing exponentially with 24 teams now participating. This is great for the development of the game as schools adopt cricket as the game of choice.
PakPassion.net: The recent test series against Sri Lanka had pitches that were much more result- friendly. What changes were made to cause this?
Dilawar Mani: Naturally we would always want sporting tracks rather than placid wickets. We always attempt to do this i.e. good batting track initially with assistance to the spinners on day 4 and 5. While our curators are at par with the best in the world, credit must be given to the players who put in the effort to make things happen whether batting or bowling.
PakPassion.net: Your vision for Abu Dhabi cricket and UAE in general ? what are your long term goals?
Dilawar Mani: To create a world class structure to develop players, eventually turn the game over to Emiratis and attain Full Membership of the ICC.
In the near term the goal is to climb the ranking table amongst the Associates from the current # 7 position to the top 2.
PakPassion.net: Many thanks for your time
Dilawar Mani: Thank you.
