Taking some time off their tour of the UAE, the Australian cricket team surprised the 2,000 workers at a labour accommodation in Dubai with an impromptu game right in their camp. It was every cricket fan's dream.
It was an ordinary Friday at the Al Naboodah labour accommodation in Al Aweer for PP, a blue-collar worker, until he saw a small cricket pitch along with red carpets being spread out around his accommodation. An ardent cricket fan, PP ran down to see what the commotion was about and there he saw the Aussie team.
The Australian cricket team that is in Dubai to play a test series against Pakistan may be aggressive on the field but their softer side came to the fore at the recent surprise visit.
Around 2,000 workers living in the Al Naboodah worker accommodation in Al Aweer were bowled over by the friendliness of the Aussie cricketers who toured their facility, played cricket with them, joined them for afternoon tea, gifted them autographed shirts and caps and also signed a graffiti wall for the workers. The Australian Ambassador to the UAE, Arthur Spyrou also joined the team during the activities.
Tim Paine, Mitch Marsh, Peter Siddle, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Brendan Doggett, Ashton Agar, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jon Holland and Justin Langer took time out from the Qantas Tour of the UAE to get rare insights into the lives of the thousands of blue-collar workers who have transformed the UAE from a desert into a booming modern metropolis.
Speaking to the media while at the facility, Australian fast bowler, Starc said: "We spend time away from our families and travel around the world playing cricket but coming here to this accommodation was an eye-opener as these workers work a lot harder only to send most of their earnings back to support their families, whom they meet maybe once a year or once in a couple of years. So it does put in perspective how lucky we are. To see a smile on their faces, and play a bit of cricket with them is the least that we could do for them."
The players formed teams with the workers and played a few friendly matches on the premises of the Al Naboodah labour accommodation before proceeding to tour the facility, sitting with the workers in their rooms, getting pictures clicked and enjoying snacks with them.
Impressed by the workers love for the game, Starc said: "It was great to see how much they love cricket and we were impressed with their skills and zeal for the game as some of them were real good spinners and fast bowlers. I was happy when they told me that they mostly spend their weekend playing cricket and other sports. A lot of the workers here are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh here and they shared with us their enthusiasm for cricket."
Talking about his impressions about the workers, Starc said:"What I gathered was that cricket is a sport they love and from the posters of inter-camp cricket games they have I can tell that it is sport that they love and practice here as well in the UAE and not just in their home countries."
The team stayed at the labour accommodation from 2pm until 4:30pm and spent good quality time with the workers hearing about their lives, challenges and also on the crucial role cricket plays in providing an outlet in the camp.
Senan Al Naboodah, managing director of Al Naboodah Construction Group, said: "We would like to thank the Australian national cricket team, and Arthur Spyrou, for visiting our employee village. Our workers were thrilled to meet some of their cricketing heroes, and Al Naboodah's cricket team were honoured to test their skills against some of the best players in the world."
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