It might be one of the hottest, driest countries in the world but the mantra that "nothing is impossible" couldn't be more appropriate for Dubai, whose preparations to build a world class cricket centre continue at apace.
Trade Arabia, a business website, reports that "Dubai Sports City’s strategy is to provide the finest ever sports facilities and cricket is to be a cornerstone sport, guaranteed to appeal to a worldwide audience happy to take advantage of the prime location of the UAE," while adding that they will build a special laboratory to produce different types of turf.
“The operation includes developing a specialist laboratory capable of supporting this activity, to the point where we can use climate control to make the turf an exact match for the practice needs of bowlers and batsmen,” he added.
In order to create the 28 specialist turf wickets, three different national soil types were imported to Dubai. An impressive 380 tons of Australian clay, 380 tons of clay from Pakistan and 180 tons of clay from England are en route to Dubai.
Under the strict control of the UAE government laboratory, the clay types will be screened for harmful nematodes, soil-based diseases and fungi such as fusarium. Once declared free of these threats, the soil will travel through the UAE in conditions designed to keep it entirely free of contamination by sand particles.
Posted by: Faisal Khan at September 4, 2007 10:48 AM
Its correct nothing is impossible in Dubai, when you can have a Ski resort there, what else could be impossible
Posted by: Resident of Dxb at September 4, 2007 8:20 PM
And what about the sacrifices made? Dubai recently DESTROYED all the cricket grounds they had in Dubai. Grounds where all school/college matches were held were closed in a week and construction began on that land. Now if someone in the city wants to play cricket he has to travel to Sharjah to play (oh don't get me started on the traffic).
They are definitely not doing this for the game, its simply a money making exercise to them - taking advantage of the huge Asian population.
Posted by: Susantha Jayawardena at September 5, 2007 5:15 AM
Dubai has everything (like funds,professionals, resources,govt support,plenty of land,laboratories, good weather etc.) most of other cricket playing nations do not have to successfully carry out this kind of research acivities for the improvement on the standard of cricket pitches which is one of the grey areas in world wide cricket activities.
As Dubai is experiencing some peak period in Road Construction works which involve lot of Soil Testing, which is a major part of Pitch Mechanics as well, I am sure that most of these tests can be carried out locally and strictly according to International Standards.
Even the construction equipment and plant are available locally in plenty to construct the necessary test strips.
I wish Dubai Govt, ICC and the Sponsors of Dubai Sports City all the success in this very important Project.
Susantha Jayawardena.Dubai
Posted by: Niaz Hussain Jagirani - Dubai at September 5, 2007 8:46 AM
I think Dubai is most improving city in asia in every field since last 5 years, and now days cricket is expanding in every city of uae, we are waiting to see dubai sport city to a world leading city of sport.
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