Cuttack, Feb. 17 -- The last five years have seen the UAE, and Dubai in particular, stepping in as an alternative venue for major cricketing events for a variety of reasons - be it the pandemic to political upheavals. While the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is ready to play the co-hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy, being revived after eight years, there is a reasonable demand among the game's fraternity there for a greater recognition of the associate country's role.

It often passes under the radar as to how many times the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has answered to call of stepping in as hosts of major events in the new millennium - keeping aside the fact that Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi had acted as the home venues for Pakistan for nearly a decade when international teams refused to tour the country after the 2009 terror attack.

Less than six months back, Dubai and Sharjah played hosts to the ICC Women's World Cup in October due to the political uprising which saw a shifting of power in Bangladesh - the original hosts. In 2021, the UAE created history by becoming the first associate member country to host the Men's T20 World Cup when the event was shifted from India due to Covid pandemic. During the first wave of Covid in 2020, they hosted the full IPL behind closed doors while the second phase of IPL had to be relocated to the Gulf country next year again.

Add to this are the Asia Cups in 2018 and 2022 - when the UAE had been the preferred destination primarily to facilitate the India-Pakistan marquee game on a neutral venue. Sri Lanka were the designated hosts of the Asia Cup in 2022 but with the island nation being rocked by large scale protests, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) thought it was prudent to move it to the UAE at a short notice.

Chirag Suri, a former opener and vice-captain of the UAE senior team, felt that the associate country's cricket should have benefitted more from this trend. "There is no doubt that the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has been benefitting from it financially but I feel we should use this opportunity to take UAE cricket forward as well. For example, a warm-up match against one of the visiting teams will be an excellent opportunity,'' said Suri, who was a part of the now defunct IPL team Gujarat Lions for the 2017 season.

Elaborating on his point for Millennium Post, Suri said: "In case a warm-up game is not feasible, what about organising a few masterclass kind of sessions, even brief ones, from the likes of a Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. These will be invaluable for our cricketers".

Meanwhile, a well known industry baron and cricket enthusiast of Dubai feels that it's high time the ICC and the BCCI allotts the UAE. "It's true that the UAE is still not a ICC full member, but I think in view of the reputation it has built and the logistical advantages that the country enjoys, the ICC should consider giving shorter events like a T20 World Cup to the UAE occasionally," said Shyam Bhatia.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.