Six-a-side tourney attracts star players

ABU DHABI - You have always watched them on TV and dreamt like being like them or playing alongside them. For 36 players in the UAE, that dream will come true on Friday.

By James Jose

Published: Sat 7 May 2011, 12:42 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 7:29 AM

The Ministry of Labour have roped in Pakistan international stars like Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanveer, Imran Nazir and Fawad Alam for a six-a-side cricket tournament, which will be held on Friday. The tournament, sponsored by Du, is aimed at promoting Labour Day celebrations.

The tournament will last throughout the day and will be held at the Shaikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium. The Abu Dhabi Cricket Council (ADCC) is hosting the event on behalf of the Ministry of Labour.

Thirty-six players in the UAE have been divided into the six teams which will be in the fray. The teams are Team Abdul Razzaq, Team Shoaib Malik, Team Sohail Tanveer, Team Imran Nazir, Team Fawad Alam and Team ADCC.

“We were driven by the Ministry of Labour, who wanted to help the community and support the labour cause. Du also came forward to support this cause. We are just the hosts. It is the Ministry of Labour who came up with it,” Dilawar Mani, CEO of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) said.

Mani thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for providing the No Objection certificates for these stars. “I also want to thank the PCB for providing the NOCs for these international stars,” he said.

“There will be six teams—Team Abdul Razzaq, Team Shoaib Malik, Team Fawad Alam, Team Sohail Tanveer, Team Imran Nazir and Team ADCC. The teams will be divided into two Pools—Pool A and Pool B. Everyone will play the full quota of five overs even if the team batting second, reaches the target,” Mani added.

Mani said that such a tournament was the perfect community service. “This is a building block for the community in the UAE. Cricket is a sport which is open to all walks of life. It is not a rich man’s sport. The labour community, mostly from the subcontinent, play the game,” he said.

“We feel that the labour community needs our support. They are part of our community and we need to support them. Without them, we could not have built these cities,” Ahmed Abu Rahiman, Vice President, Du, Government Relations, said.

“They would get a chance to play with international stars and it will be a great experience for them,” he added.

Ahmed Abu Rahiman said that Du will hand out free sim cards to spectators and there will also be a cash prize of Dh 20,000 for the fans.

“We will be giving out free sim cards. There will also be a Dh 20,000 for the fans and we will be handing out Dh 500 each through a draw throughout the day,” he said.

Entry is free and gates open at 9.15 am. The tournament starts at 10 a.m and will finish approximately at 6 pm.

Abdulla Al Bahar from the Ministry of Labour was present at the press conference along with Abdul Razzaq.

james@khaleejtimes.com