SHARJAH, 16 October 2004 — Abdul Rahman Bukhatir (ARB to close friends) has come to symbolize cricket in the desert. He feels hurt about the decline of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the first in the Middle East, because of the apathy of those in power.

ARB built not only the region’s first full-fledged cricket stadium which hosted most One-Day Internationals but also nurtured his brainchild, the Cricketers’ Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), which has given away millions of dollars to deserving causes.

For cricket-mad Indians and Pakistanis, Sharjah became the focal point as a neutral venue giving birth to neutral umpiring. Lata Mangeshkar and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan became regular visitors to the stadium. Sharjah became a rendezvous for celebrities. People would wait eagerly for April and November to come so they can watch the extravaganzas.

That India and Pakistan have not been to Sharjah together for some time is a matter of concern for ARB, although he would not say so. He is one of those who believe that what cannot be cured must be endured. In the words of an ARB fan, to ignore him as a cricket promoter is like dropping a century-maker or hat-trick performer for the next game.

He looked younger than his years, as relaxed as ever in his same imposing office in Bukhatir Investments Limited on Sharjah’s Bank Street, after a 20-year break since I last interviewed him. Even an ivory souvenir given to him by an African leader was lying in the same corner to reflect his love of nature. His secretary’s office was decorated with three treasured photographs, two showing him in cricketing gear and another with former British Prime Minister John Major, a cricketing buff in his own right.

Summing up the last 20 years, he said he had mellowed a great deal, now a seasoned grandfather enjoying looking after a family of 30. “The anxiety of olden days has been replaced by a sense of satisfaction that I have regularized a lot of my responsibilities toward my family.”

Dubai Sports City, a $2 billion project he has launched in association with two other businessmen, Abdul Rahim Al-Zarooni and Abdul Rehman Falaknaz, is the project that occupies his time most these days. “This will be the world’s first full-fledged state-of-the-art sports city.”

Dubai in the next decade, he feels, will undergo enormous changes. “It is impossible to imagine Dubai in 2014,” he enthused. “Leadership makes the difference. Dubai is a classic example ... where limited resources have been turned into unlimited opportunities.”

Ten Sports, a TV channel he launched recently, is another of his current preoccupation. He is happy to have taken a plunge into the visual media. “We have turned the corner, thanks to teamwork.”

Did he think that India and Pakistan would ever play in their favorite Sharjah Cricket Stadium again?

ARB, sounding sad, had no definite answer, but was hopeful that this would happen sooner than later. “Pakistan are willing, but India are not.” He would not go into details.

He said cricket has become a monster, a $30,000 tournament growing into a $20 million festival, and he was happy that the cricketing fraternity was reaping the harvest. “Cricket remains my passion.”

ARB said negotiations were going on to shift the ICC headquarters from London, hopefully to Dubai.

He attributed the spate of match-fixing to sick minds, people wanting to make quick bucks but bringing bad name to the game. He said there is not a venue on earth that is not afflicted by the disease, “be it Karachi, Sharjah, Bombay or Timbuktu.”

ARB said the redeeming feature was that match-fixing, which was ignored in the past, was being addressed. “We can see the positive results of such efforts.”

Any interview would be incomplete without the mention of Sept. 11, 2001, the most talked about date in recent history. Where was he on the fateful day which turned the world topsy-turvy?

ARB said he was at home. The more he watched the television the more baffled he was. “The tragedy naturally took its time to sink in.”

Like all fair-minded, well-meaning people who think that they owe a better and peaceful future to posterity, ARB said the best way to counter terrorism is to root out its causes, germinating from injustices, inequality, deprivation, helplessness, poverty. “A disease can’t be cured unless diagnosed — and diagnosed properly by specialists.”

Who is his hero? His eyes glistening with pride, he instantly mentioned Gamal Abdel Nasser, the former Egyptian president. “As an Arab I idolize him. He unmasked the great powers, changed the world philosophy, transformed human perceptions, created a new sense of realization in the West and the East and gave hope to mankind that you can deal with any event if you have the courage and the will. Nasser is the pride of Arabs and Africans.”