Its déjà vu for the Sharjah Cricket Council as it prepares to host the 40th edition of the 50-over Bukhatir League from March 12.
It was exactly four decades ago, Abdulrahman Bukhatir, patron of cricket in the UAE, started the tournament, which now is the most historic and prestigious league in the country.
Playing on the Sharjah cement wickets, Bukhatir himself was the captain of the Sharjah Cricket Club. His team has lifted the trophy 14 times which easily remains to be the highest by any team so far.
In 1981, the tournament shifted to the world famous Sharjah Cricket Stadium, which currently holds the World Guinness Records for hosting the highest number of one-day Internationals and has been held in this venue ever since.
“Im proud of what my father has achieved and happy to see this tournament grow each year and reach this level. It has been held non-stop since it made a humble start way back in 1973-74,” said Waleed Bukhatir, vice chairman of Sharjah Cricket Council.
“The 40th edition of the tournament this year will have 20 teams participating at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and we wish all the teams’ good luck in the tournament,” he added.