ABU DHABI, 18 April 2006 — India and Pakistan will renew cricket rivalry in the UAE after a six-year gap.
The proceeds from the two one-day cricket matches today and tomorrow will benefit the victims of the earthquake that rocked the subcontinent in October.
Pakistan are fresh from their Test and ODI series triumph over Sri Lanka, and India arrived barely 24 hours after completing a convincing 5-1 home win over England for the first ever cricket international to be staged in Abu Dhabi.
The desert venues have not been particularly lucky for the Indians. Rahul Dravid and his men, riding the crest of a successful run in one-dayers, will be keen to settle old scores with their arch rivals. Both teams have not played a match in the UAE since March 26, 2000 as the Indian government had banned the team from playing in off-shore venues like Sharjah during the match-fixing scandal.
Lifting of the ban has allowed the two cricket boards to arrange the two-match series.
The Indians have hardly had any time to savor their 5-1 triumph over England, flying in here the very morning after the seventh and final match in Indore on Saturday.
Victory was still hanging heavy, evident in the confident stride of the players as they geared up for another contest with their traditional foes, albeit at a new venue in the UAE -the Zayed Stadium which would be hosting its first ever ODI. The Indians, no doubt, will draw confidence from their exploits during the last series against Pakistan when they beat them with an emphatic 4-1 margin.
Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was confident of his team to recoup their recent 4-1 loss against India. “The Indian team seems to have developed a winning formula and we are looking at how to counter that,” he said.
Woolmer admired the Zayed Cricket stadium. “It’s a fantastic facility for international cricket. The outfield is nice, the pitch was a bit worn out because of overuse, but this has been put right by the ICC pitch consultant.
The Indian cricket team went through a practice session at the Zayed Cricket Stadium yesterday without coach Greg Chappell, who was down with an upset stomach. Chappell skipped the training session because of an upset stomach, chairman of BCCI media committee Rajeev Shukla said.
The 15-member Indian cricket team led by Rahul Dravid comprises Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar, Ajit Agarkar, Munaf Patel, Venugopal Rao, S Sreesanth and R P Singh. Coach: Greg Chappell.
According to sources, the Indo-Pak Friendship Cricket Cup will enter the record books for being the biggest trophy made for any cricket tournament. The 45-inch tall trophy is made of gold, silver and diamonds with Jaipur’s famous meenakari work around. What makes this trophy unique is that it weighs 45kg.
This series would open new vistas in the history of Indo-Pak cricket, said Dr. Bimal Soni, coordinator of the Indo-Pak one-day friendship series.
Today’s match will also be the first official game to be played at Zayed Cricket stadium. A spectacular laser show with fireworks display and a performance on the ground by acrobats and dancers alongside a 300-member cultural troupe will officially inaugurate the Zayed Cricket Stadium. The opening is scheduled for 7 p.m. today.
Meanwhile, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf arrived in Abu Dhabi to watch the first of two cricket one-dayers between India and Pakistan for the DLF cup. “President Musharraf arrived to watch the first ODI,” said President of Abu Dhabi Cricket Council B. R. Shetty.
Among other dignitaries, BCCI President Sharad Pawar and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel will be present during the benefit match.
