United
Arab Emirates qualify for next year's Indoor Cricket World Cup
in Sri Lanka.
In the recently
completed World Indoor Cricket Federation Challenger Cup, the
United Arab Emirates secured a place in next year's Indoor Cricket
World Cup by defeating India in the final. We here have long been
aware of the sport's attempts to establish itself in the UAE,
and we trust this development will be the fillip it needs.
The WICF Challenger
Cup is a recent and welcome initiative of the WICF. The idea was
first officially raised at the WICF Delegate meeting in Wellington,
New Zealand during last year's World Cup. It was seen as a vehicle
to introduce and encourage the development of our sport in emerging
countries, plus provide a conduit through which those countries
(one at a time) could participate in the World Cup without necessarily
having to wait for the formal WICF membership requirements to
be met.
The Ceylon
Indoor Cricket Association volunteered to organise and host this
the inaugural WICF Challenger Cup, and India and the United Arab
Emirates were invited to play. Both India and the UAE sent two
teams, and with hosts Sri Lanka playing in the tournament (but
not allowed to play in the finals), a week of highly competitive
indoor cricket ensued.
The Grand
Final saw the UAE chasing India's 42, and with just two balls
remaining, UAE had reached 41. The penultimate ball was hit for
2, and the last successfully negotiated, and UAE had booked its
place in next year's World Cup. But enough from us. . . for comprehensive
coverage of the tournament, you really should go to the Ceylon
Indoor Cricket Association's excellent website and read
all about it from there.
Indoor Cricket
World salutes the WICF and the Ceylon Indoor Cricket Association
for this development and its success, and also those in India
and the UAE responsible for enabling their country's participation.
Next year's
Indoor Cricket World Cup promises more and more as time goes by,
and our sport is slowly beginning to spread to nations that, for
the sport's long-term future, have to become involved. Now. .
. . .if only we could also get the English scene back on track
. . . . .
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