Tickets go on sale for Sharjah Test and ODI

Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been spruced up for the revival of regular top-flight international cricket when the third Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka begins on Thursday.

It was nine years ago that Sharjah hosted a Test when Pakistan took on Australia in the famed desert venue which entered the Guinness World Records for hosting the most number of 200 one-day international at a single venue.

Tickets are now on sale for the Test and 201st one-day international to be played on Sunday November 20.

These matches are part of the Bank Al Falah Jazz Cup series of three Tests, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 International (T20I) between the two Test-playing nations across the UAE.

“Everyone is waiting with bated breath for the return of the glory days of Sharjah Cricket Stadium so we are delighted to announce ticket sales and anticipate a fabulous turnout. We look forward to welcoming cricket fans, young and old, to our new and improved stadium. Rest assured, it will be like coming home,” said Waleed Bukhatir of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Tickets are priced from as little as Dh30 for the Test match and Dh50 for the ODI,  while five-day season tickets for the Test are also available for all stands. It can be purchased online at timeouttickets.com and boxofficeme.com.

Tickets are also available at a number of convenient locations across the UAE including Karachi Darbar in Dubai and Sharjah, Sind Punjab restaurant in Dubai and AJ Sports in Dubai and Sharjah.

"We are very excited and look forward to have some exciting matches as was done earlier," said Mazhar Khan of Emirates Cricket Board speaking to Emirates 24|7 earlier.

"Sharjah has always been an exciting venue. We hope the tradition continues and good cricket is played in Sharjah."

Fondly refer to as the 'oasis of cricket', the stadium has been witness to stories of stunning exploits by the world’s leading players which have since become part of cricketing folklore. From Javed Miandad’s last-ball six to Sachin Tendulkar’s assault on the Australian bowlers to Wasim Akram’s streak of hat-tricks to Muttiah Muralitharan’s wicket haul, there are golden moments galore.

Elaborating on the improvements made in the stadium, which will host a day-night international, Mazhar said: "We have done quite a lot. We have changed players' changing rooms into a different section. There are new scoreboards, new replay screens, new canopies, new fencing and 8,000 new chairs. It's looking good."

The veteran cricket administrator expressed the hope that this series would be the beginning of many more to come.

"We are planning to have more and more games. Aghanistan will be hosting Holland and UAE Scotland. County teams are also expected to play and we are hoping to get some matches during the England series," he said.

Described as a 'home away from home' by former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, Mazhar any country was welcome to play here. "Hopefully if India decides tomorrow they would come and play in the UAE, they are most welcome and we are looking forward to that," he added.

The two rival skippers Misbah ul Haq of Pakistan and Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka are relishing the prospect of playing in Sharjah.

"You can say it's a home ground for us. We’ve played a lot of cricket here on this ground and I think our team do well here normally. If you look at the past record, especially the Test matches against South Africa, we have good memories of this ground. I hope we can continue just like that," said Misbah.

"It’s not a new venue for us. Most of the guys have played a lot of cricket there. We know about Sharjah, much more about it. I hope it’s not going to trouble us because we know the conditions very well," added Dilshan.
 

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