The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is one of the most famous cricket venues globally and holds a special place in cricket history. Here’s an in-depth overview of the stadium:
Location:-
Situated in Sharjah, one of the emirates of the UAE, it is just a short drive away from Dubai.
History:-
The stadium was originally built in the early 1980s and has since undergone several renovations.
It became famous during the 1980s and 1990s for hosting numerous One Day Internationals (ODIs), often featuring India and Pakistan matches.
It holds the record for hosting the most ODIs at a single ground — over 240 as of 2023.
The venue gained prominence as part of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), where many cricketing legends have played.
Capacity:-
The stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 16,000 spectators.
Key Events:-
Sharjah Cricket Stadium has hosted many memorable moments in cricket, such as thrilling finishes and record-breaking performances.
It has also been a venue for the Asia Cup and has hosted matches during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. But now in 2024 Women's Worldcup T20 is also Hosting in this beautiful stadium.
Additionally, it is a regular host for matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has hosted Indian Premier League (IPL) matches when the tournament moved to the UAE.
Significance:-
Sharjah became a neutral venue for cricket matches, particularly for India-Pakistan contests, when political tensions between the two countries restricted them from playing each other in their home countries.
The stadium has produced many iconic moments in the game, such as Sachin Tendulkar’s "Desert Storm" innings in 1998 against Australia, which is still remembered as one of the greatest ODI knocks.
Facilities:-
The stadium has undergone several renovations to modernize its facilities, ensuring better amenities for players, officials, and spectators.
Equipped with modern floodlights, it regularly hosts day-night matches.
It also includes corporate boxes and media centers.
Pitch Conditions:-
Traditionally, the Sharjah pitch has been known to be batting-friendly, leading to many high-scoring encounters, especially in the shorter formats of the game but in World Cup T20 women's it's became bowling friendly also.
However, in recent years, the pitch has offered some assistance to spinners as well, making it a balanced venue for both batsmen and bowlers.
Cultural and Sporting Impact:-
Sharjah Cricket Stadium has contributed significantly to the popularity of cricket in the UAE and across the Gulf region.
It’s a popular venue for expatriates, especially the large South Asian community living in the UAE, who have historically flocked to the stadium for major cricket events.
The stadium’s long history and role in international cricket make it an iconic location for the sport.
All the very best for our women...
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Historic stadium, but not that spectator friendly During my childhood, I used to watch a number of cricket matches on television and at that time, many of them used to be played in Sharjah. I wondered why would people go to a place with such a harsh climate to play often inconsequential tournaments. However, memories of these games stuck with me.
When I moved to Dubai next door for work, I happened to see a match at the stadium there and was impressed with the facilities. The desire to see the Sharjah stadium returned and I finally got the opportunity to watch some T10 games there in November 2018.
The Sharjah stadium is smaller than its Dubai counterpart and at places, visibly shows its age. One needs to climb many flights of stairs to reach the better stands, while many of the other stands appear exposed to direct sunlight.
Compared to Dubai, the spectator facilities are much fewer in Sharjah and the seating quality too is not that good. In terms of passion of the fans, however, this stadium definitely scores higher, which is due to the difference in the strata of cricket lovers coming to this stadium compared to those in Dubai. The stadium is an old-timer, reminiscent of many Pakistani grounds, and nostalgia remains its...
Read moreOne of the famous cricket grounds.The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It holds the record for the most number of ODIs hosted in a venue with 236 ODIs up to 19 February 2018. It was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years. In 2010, at the behest of local cricketing patron Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium became the home ground for the Afghanistan cricket team for One Day Internationaland First-Class matches. In 2016, Afghanistan changed their home ground to Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground in Noida, India. The cricket stadium also hosted the inaugural edition of the T10 cricket league, which is a 90-minute cricket league from December 14 to 17, 2017 featuring several international cricket players. The stadium also hosted the final of the 2018 Blind Cricket World Cup featuring India and Pakistan with India defeating Pakistan by 2 wickets to secure the Blind Cricket World Cup title.
Test matches
Sharjah cricket stadium is one of the few Test Cricket Grounds at which a Test match has been played not involving a home country participant (and the only one in a non-Test playing country) Sharjah was the venue for four Test matches in 2002. Because of security and safety concerns in Pakistan and its aftermath) the ground was chosen as a neutral venue to host two Test matches between Pakistan and the West Indies in February and two Test matches between Pakistan and Australia in October. The fifth Test match held at the ground took place in November 2011, as the third Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The other games in the series were played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi and Dubai International...
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