Sharjah, United Arab Emirates:
Sharjah Cricket Stadium played host to the inaugural Asia Cup in 1984 and is ready to welcome this global tournament once again when it hosts 4 key matches in a few weeks.
The iconic venue announced major refurbishments earlier last year, including an all-new VIP Hospitality experience comprising 6 West and 5 East VIP Suites and a state-of-the-art Royal Suite.
As a founding member of the Asian Cricket Council, Abdulrahman Bukhatir was instrumental in the initial success of this tournament and believes this was the first major step in the future ascendency of Asian teams in the cricketing hierarchy, not to mention Sharjah’s reputation as a world-class cricketing venue and inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the maximum One-Day Internationals at a venue (245 ODI’s).
After a gap of 11 years, the fifth Asia Cup was also hosted for the second time in Sharjah. The tournament took place between 5 and 14 April 1995. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh took part in this edition of the tournament with India winning its third straight, and fourth overall Asia Cup.
But Mr Bukhatir and Sharjah have done so much more for Asian cricket than just play host.
In 2010, he offered the stadium to the Afghanistan Cricket Board who at the time didn’t have the required turf facilities. Thanks to this access to world-class facilities, they were able to hone their skills and become a full member of ACC and ICC. Over the years, Afghanistan has hosted Pakistan and Australia in bilateral games in Sharjah being their home venue, and it is a matter of great pride that they will be playing Bangladesh on 30th August in Sharjah.
“Come August 27th, the 15th Asia Cup will take place in Sharjah and Dubai. It has been a very fruitful 40 years and I am delighted we are hosts again. The initiative begun in 1984 has paid off and I see it as one of my most satisfying achievements,” said Abdulrahman Bukhatir, the father of UAE cricket and founder of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
“Life has really come full circle and we are so excited to be hosting the Asia Cup once again in 2022. Our stadium is globally renowned for breaking records, having the best fans and the most exciting finishes and I imagine this tournament will be no different. The stadium upgrades are complete and so is our team, so see you soon in Sharjah for another epic tournament,” added Khalaf Bukhatir, CEO of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The Asia Cup will be played from August 27 to September 11.
Tickets can be purchased at Sharjah Cricket Stadium and on platinumlist.net
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