Proud to have a team associated with the UAE: Sethi

Dubai - The other host cities are Cape Town, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Stellenbosch

Port Elizabeth team owner Dubai-based Ajay Sethi said that the franchise's presence in the new T20 Global League has helped spread the UAE's wings far across to South Africa.
The Channel 2 Group chairman purchased the Port Elizabeth team as Cricket South Africa (CSA) launched the League in London on Monday. Port Elizabeth, whose star South African player is leg spinner Imran Tahir, is one of eight franchises in the League and the second from the UAE with Dubai's Suhail Abdullatif Galadari partnering Javed Afridi to own Benoni.
The other host cities are Cape Town, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Stellenbosch.
Sethi, whose company is the global rights holder with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for radio and digital, said that it was a matter of pride to have a team associated with the UAE.
"Dubai has put the UAE on the world map. Living in the UAE has given us many opportunities and this will add more value. It gives me pride that we have been able to put the UAE on the South African cricketing map. It has been the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to expand the horizons and we are learning from him all the time. We have been associated with the ICC and my network in the cricketing world gave me the idea to buy the franchise," Sethi told the Khaleej Times on Tuesday.
"Port Elizabeth is a beautiful city revolving around the ocean and is deeply entrenched with interesting cricketing history. This tournament is about the fans, the players, rekindling the magic and reviving the battles, between bat and ball, between heart and mind, showing the world what makes this game extraordinary. Today is a momentous occasion and it is for us to seize the moment and come together to witness the most beautiful carnival of global cricket in South Africa," added Sethi.
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