Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium

Summary

The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium (Arabic: ملعب زايد للكريكت) is a cricket ground located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The $23 million stadium, built by Concor, opened in May 2004,[1] with its inaugural first-class match being an Intercontinental Cup fixture between Scotland and Kenya in November of that year. The stadium was one of the dedicated venues for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Zayed Cricket Stadium
ملعب زايد للكريكت
ملعب زايد للكريكت
Ground information
LocationAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Coordinates24°23′47″N 54°32′26″E / 24.39639°N 54.54056°E / 24.39639; 54.54056
Establishment2004
Capacity20,000
OperatorEmirates Cricket Board
TenantsUAE national cricket team
Afghanistan national cricket team

MI Emirates

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
End names
North End
Pavilion End
International information
First Test20–24 November 2010:
 Pakistan v  South Africa
Last Test10–14 March 2021:
 Afghanistan v  Zimbabwe
First ODI18 April 2006:
 Pakistan v  India
Last ODI26 January 2021:
 Afghanistan v  Ireland
First T20I10 February 2010:
 Afghanistan v  Scotland
Last T20I19 February 2023:
 United Arab Emirates v  Afghanistan
First WT20I18 September 2022:
 United Arab Emirates v  Thailand
Last WT20I25 September 2022:
 Bangladesh v  Ireland
As of 19 February 2023
Source: Cricinfo

The stadium has a large stand at either end, with the areas square of the wicket offering grass banks for additional seating.[2] It can hold 20,000 people.

International fixtures edit

 
Pakistan playing against India at Abu Dhabi

Among the stadium's most memorable events[citation needed] were two charity matches between rivals Pakistan and India in April 2006. These matches were played to support the survivors of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. The series was expected to raise $10 million for earthquake relief.[3]

Many other international series have been played on the ground. Following the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team, Pakistan was unable to host home matches and played a number of home series matches in the UAE, including series against Australia, England, West Indies, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka

ICC 2021 T20 World Cup edit

The 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is the first ICC tournament to be hosted by the UAE. It began on 17 October and will run to 14 November. Four first round matches were hosted in Abu Dhabi, with 10 Super 12 matches and a semi-final also being held at the stadium.

Domestic fixtures edit

In 2009, the stadium hosted numerous cricket games, mostly fixtures in the Nissan Gulf Cup, with first-class teams from England and India competing against each other. In March 2009, Sussex, Lancashire, Middlesex and Surrey all played pre-season friendlies on the ground.

The first 20 games of total 60 games of the 2014 Indian Premier League was held in the UAE, with some matches taking place at the stadium. The 2020 Indian Premier League was played in the UAE from September to November, with 20 matches played at the stadium,[4] including the opening match of the tournament.[5] The second half of the next season's league was also played in the UAE from September to October 2021.

Football fixtures edit

A friendly match between Thailand and Oman was played at the ground in January 2019.

Nursery grounds edit

The stadium complex also features a pair of smaller grounds called Nursery 1 (also known as Tolerance Oval) and Nursery 2. Tolerance Oval was used for a Twenty20 International between United Arab Emirates and Australia in October 2018.[6] In September 2019, Tolerance Oval was named as one of the venues to host cricket matches for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament.[7]

Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery 2
Mohan's Oval
Ground information
LocationAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
OperatorEmirates Cricket Board
TenantsUAE national cricket team
International information
First T20I22 October 2018:
  United Arab Emirates v   Australia
As of 26 March 2024
Source: Mohan's Oval Cricinfo

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Zayed Cricket Stadium- Abu Dhabi Cricket Club". AdCricketClub.ae. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Zayed Cricket Stadium | United Arab Emirates | Cricket Grounds | ESPNcricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  3. ^ "India bat in Abu Dhabi charity match against Pakistan". 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  4. ^ "IPL 2020 Full Schedule: Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings in opening match". Hindustan Times. 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  5. ^ Sen, Rohan (September 17, 2020). "IPL 2020 venue details: Brief history, fixtures, match timings in Dubai, Abi Dhabi and Sharjah". India Today. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  6. ^ "Zayed Cricket Stadium Nursery 1 | United Arab Emirates | Cricket Grounds | ESPNcricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  7. ^ "ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 schedule announced". International Cricket Council. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.