Twenty years of sporting excellence at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium

Cricket is where the venue’s journey began, two decades ago. On November 17, 2004, the majestic stadium hosted its first professional cricket match – an Intercontinental Cup first-class match between Scotland and Kenya.

Two years later, Abu Dhabi hosted its first international match – an ODI series between India and Pakistan. The two-match series was shared between the teams.

As enthralling as the contest on the field was, the view of the vast expanse across the main stands was equally captivating. Soon, the unmistakable canopy of the Zayed Cricket Stadium drew the attention of the cricket world to the UAE, which, until that time, had centred around the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Since then, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has become an essential part of UAE’s cricket infrastructure.

After the 2009 terror attacks on Sri Lanka's national cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan’s national team began training and playing matches in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE, gradually returning to their home nation again from 2017. When scheduling issues arose in India in 2014, due to elections across the country, Abu Dhabi – along with Dubai and Sharjah – helped host the Indian Premier League on short notice.

It was also among the venues in the UAE that provided a safe space to play international cricket during the Covid-19 pandemic, hosting the IPL and T20 World Cup.

It's a role Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub chief executive Matthew Boucher takes pride in.

“It has been quite a journey in the last 20 years. We are thrilled to have been a part of the growing cricketing and sporting ecosystem in Abu Dhabi,” he tells The National.

“I would like to see us part of growing junior development, being a haven for the community environment here in Abu Dhabi, and, of course, right at the top end of international cricket, having world-class stadiums and facilities for the best international teams.”

The Zayed Cricket Stadium has provided great memories to cricket fans. Former Pakistan captain Misbah Ul Haq scored the second fastest Test century here in 2014. In the same year, it welcomed the IPL to UAE shores.

Pakistan’s all-rounder Abdul Razzaq played one of the finest ODI innings in modern cricketer at the venue, hitting an unbeaten century chasing 287 against South Africa in 2010, securing a one-wicket win with one ball to spare.

England travelled to Abu Dhabi in 2012 to take on Pakistan in a three-match Test series. They arrived as the No 1 Test side in the world but famously plummeted to 72 all out chasing 145, going on to lose the series 3-0.

As the years went by, the scope and scale of the venue grew; and the adjacent Tolerance Oval gained international venue status.

Development gathered considerable momentum over the past five years and Abu Dhabi became home to the fourth format of the game, in the form of Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Various leagues, including the IPL and Pakistan Super League, have since set up base at the venue. Other sports blossomed as well when the venue was rebranded as the Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub. Now a number of disciplines are available to sports enthusiasts, from tennis, to padel, football to rugby, and more.

But cricket remains central to the stadium’s identity.

Fans of the sport will still remember watching the opening match of 2021 T20 World Cup from special socially distanced family “pods” on the grass banks. It was a unique solution to a serious challenge.

“We hosted 139 international bilateral matches during Covid. The 2021 Pakistan Super League, the Indian Premier League in 2020-2021, the T20 Men’s World Cup. They were incredibly hard events to stage,” Boucher remembers.

“The inter-government co-ordination and connectivity that was needed to safely host matches in nine separate zones here and six separate entrance ways for team buses, different facilities all providing a Covid-safe environment. Personally, that’s my highlights. They weren’t easy.”

The stadium’s flexibility to host events on short notice has become a hallmark.

 “Within five to seven days, we are ready for an international match. We have ground staff continually keeping an eye on the wickets,” says Boucher. We have 64 clay wickets across all the surfaces, and we have a team of 15 who are tending to it every day from 5am, delivering some of the world’s best pitches and facilities. We are always ready to host.”

He says the stadium has a very busy 12 to 15-month pipeline.

“We just finished the Ireland v South Africa two T20s and three ODI series on behalf of Cricket Ireland. And quite quickly we are into Abu Dhabi T10 preparations starting November 21. Then into the ILT20 in January-February. It is a very busy calendar,” says Boucher.

“We then have a little bit of rest in June to August, let the grass have a little breathe before we go again. I would like to think we are always ready.”

The season has well and truly started in Abu Dhabi and it will be a busy few months catering to all the leagues and formats that now fill the calendar. It is a lot different from 2004, when T20 was barely being talked about outside the UK.

“Cricket definitely has changed. I don’t want to say we are the only venue in the world, but we are one of the few venues in the world that is hosting four formats on a regular basis. From T10, T20, ODI and Test matches,” says Boucher.

“We are changing the venue probably on a monthly basis to cater to these four formats that we are hosting on a regular basis.”

While it has been a tale of continued excellence so far, the journey does not stop here. Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub has big plans for the future and, while cricket remains an integral part of it, the venue has become a flourishing ground for professional and community sports.

“The stadium was developed with only cricket in mind. And now we host 30 sports on a daily basis for 320 days a year. This community participation in line with Department of Community Development and Abu Dhabi Sports Council is a huge target for us in the future,” Boucher says.

“We are hosting nearly three quarters of a million athletes every year across the 30 sports. I would like to say in two to three years' time we will be up to a million athletes a year coming through the door. I don’t think many facilities in the world can say that.”

Abu Dhabi has what many cricket venues in the world can only dream of. And now it has an advanced sporting infrastructure that caters to sports persons of all kind – professional, amateur or recreational.

The next 20 years promise even more growth for this pioneering sports venue.