DUBAI, 24 May 2005 — When the top brass of International Cricket Council (ICC) gathered here last week, they had more than just groundbreaking ceremony on their agenda.
Beneath the façade of the ceremony - heralding the shift of its headquarters from London to Dubai - was a change that is increasingly being felt necessary around the cricketing world. The sprawling Dubai Sports City (DSC) is certain to play midwife to a new set of rules that would govern one-day version of the game in the future.
Reports emerging from the Dubai office suggested that revolutionary changes are under way to make One-Day Internationals more exciting. Suggestions have been made for a soccer-style substitution system, which may even include replacement of batsmen at any stage of a match.
There are reports that a team in the near future may comprise 12 players and that this would mean that a team can bring in extra player for batting while leaving him for a bowler at a later stage of the match and vice versa. A sweeping change on the fielding restrictions and intervention of TV camera umpire is also on the cards. All this may be introduced in time for the J.W. Super Series in Australia this Oct. The ICC Chief Executives’ Committee, at its next meeting in England on June 24-25, will consider the details.
While in Dubai, the ICC officials chose to focus on the groundbreaking and what it has in store for the game of cricket.
“This is a very exciting day for all concerned with the ICC,” said Ehsan Mani, president of the council.
“After all the debates that have gone on over the last few months, this ceremony represents a fantastic new chapter in the history of the ICC and the game of cricket,” he added.
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed and board members — Teddy Griffiths (West Indies) and Bob Merriman (Australia) — were also in attendance at this landmark event.
Said Malcolm Speed: “There were several reasons for our decision to move to Dubai. The financial benefits have been well covered but the ICC will also be a more effective and efficient organization by bringing its entire staff under one roof. We will be better able to serve our members once we have made this move.”
“What some people don’t realize is the fantastic infrastructure that Dubai offers. This, along with the brand new facilities that DSC proposed and the geographical advantages that Dubai offer in relation to the cricketing world, makes it the ideal location,” he added.
Also present on the occasion was the man who became a household name with his Cricket Beneficiary Fund Series (CBFS) during the 1980s, the body which gave memorable games of cricket to its millions of followers. But Abdul Rahman Bukhatir is more than just a cricket enthusiast. He is also a partner in the DSC project.
Said Bukhatir: “We are pleased that the governing body of one of the world’s major sports has chosen Dubai Sports City as the place to have their headquarters. The ICC had already chosen to locate its first ever Global Cricket Academy at Dubai Sports City and today is further confirmation of their endorsement of Dubai, which is an important development not only for the region, but also for Dubai Sports City.”
Bukhatir further said, “It has always been our goal to build the first integrated sports city with the best possible facilities and in the process create the most prestigious sporting destination in the world.”
DSC is part of the overall 2.5 billion sq. ft. Dubailand project, which has been promoted by the Dubai Development and Investment Authority (DDIA). The city is being developed and managed by a dedicated group arm, the Dubai Tourism Development Company. The sports city is a cornerstone project among the 40 major projects that are being developed by private promoters in Dubailand.
The DSC will house facilities to host international events in cricket, rugby, football, field hockey, tennis and track and field events - in particular hard court sports like baseball, volleyball, netball, handball, boxing, wrestling and ice hockey.
