DSC set to be an enchanting venue for years to come

It has been a long time in coming, but finally Dubai will host its first international cricket match on Wednesday. The two teams – if you don't already know – will be Pakistan and Australia.

If you consider Sharjah hosted its first one-day international in 1984, and the 198 ODIs played at the venue until 2003 is a world record for matches at a single ground – it begs the question: What took Dubai so long to get in on the action?

It has now, though, and the stunning Dubai Sports City (DSC) stadium looks set to be an enchanting venue for years to come.

Pakistan and Australia are no lightweight teams either. Both teams possess quality players who have the ability to make this occasion a memorable experience. I, for one, will certainly be taking my place among the 25,000 spectators expected next week.

It could still get better for cricket fans in the Emirates, if the UAE cricket team manage to qualify for the 2011 World Cup.

They are currently battling it out in a qualification tournament in South Africa and should they achieve that dream, the country stands a good chance of being one of the hosts in 2011, considering the current security issues in Pakistan.

However, the eyes of the cricket world will be focused firmly on South Africa and the glitzy Indian Premier League (IPL) for the next five weeks.

It will be particularly interesting to see how the South African public responds to Rajasthan Royal's Australian captain, Shane Warne.

In 1994, former Proteas all-rounder Brian McMillian walked into the Australian dressing room after a day's play with a loaded pistol and pointed it at Allan Border's head, in response to the latter throwing insults at him during the game.

It gave a whole new meaning to the term 'gentleman's game', but also revealed the simmering nature of the cricketing relationship between the two countries.

Warne says he cannot remember an occasion when he hasn't been booed by the South African crowd when playing abroad – tomorrow, though, he will line-up on the same team with Proteas captain Graeme Smith.

The crowd reaction itself should make for fascinating viewing, especially coming at the end of an enthralling series between the two teams.

Another player who will likely get the crowd all emotional will be England's South Africa-born star Kevin Pietersen. The Bangalore player, who grew up in Durban, has been severely critical of the country and in particular it's cricket system. He too, however, will be taking the field alongside local players.

In all, we cricket fans can expect some fascinating contests in the next month.

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