New cricket ground in Al Dhaid inaugurated

The latest Bukhatir cricket project, Al Dhaid Sports Village and its turf ground was officially inaugurated during the Afghanistan - Saudi Arabia match of the ACC Twenty20 Cup by the father of cricket in the United Arab Emirates, Abdulrahman Bukhatir.

Al Dhaid and its seven grounds were first started in November 2006 and its hard-wicket ground has been operational for two years. The first turf ground has taken six months to complete, and apart from a slightly uneven outfield is in perfect playing condition.

The four-acre site, 65 kilometres outside of Dubai, has been a personal project for Emirates Cricket Board Administrator, Mazhar Khan. "There was and is a constant need for cricket pitches considering the level of activity in the UAE", said Khan. The ground at Al Dhaid will also host the MCC and a Bangladesh Port Cricket League next year.

Bukhatir, a prime mover behind Dubai Sports City said: "Even though sports infrastructure projects are not profit-making centres, the purpose of a multi-sport project like this at Al Dhaid is to give youngsters a chance to play, get noticed and get ahead. It takes people, organisations and institutions for support and this is what we are hoping for the future. And we hope it benefits the society in Dubai and the whole world."

"The business plan has not been worked out for this, we are still in the process of forming a same. Al Dhaid is just starting but like the youngsters who will play here, it is full of promise. There are enough grounds here to have major tournaments at any point of time," he added.

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