00:00When it comes to cricket in the United Arab Emirates, the name of Sharjah clicks to mind.
00:13One stadium that has a unique relation with thrillers and nail-biting finishers, it's
00:20Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
00:24It was in the early 80s when Abdur Rahman Bukhatir, the father of cricket in UAE, envisioned
00:31the idea of the stadium.
00:35The stadium, which initially started with around 8,000 to 10,000 people sitting on the
00:40temporary scaffolding with very modest facilities, to the first dedicated stadium in the country
00:46with 17,000 spectators capacity.
00:54Eventually the stadium sowed cricket seeds in the country and it's known as the home
01:00of cricket in UAE.
01:05The first friendly match was played here by Myadad XI versus Gavaskar XI in 1981.
01:16The success of that hastily organized match inspired Bukhatir to dream big.
01:24No one could have imagined that it was the start of cricket's glorious dance in the
01:30sandy desert.
01:36The tournaments were organized by the Cricket Benefit Fund Series, CBFS, which was established
01:43in 1981 and aimed to honor cricketers of the past and present generations from India
01:49and Pakistan with benefit purses in recognition of their services to the game of cricket.
01:57During the past four decades, Sharjah Cricket Stadium has hosted some of the most iconic
02:03matches.
02:06The stadium had provided insight into the greatest moments that hundreds of thousands
02:12have witnessed in the stadium and millions via satellite channels around the world.
02:20Sharjah Cricket Stadium's history can never be completed without the mention of countless
02:25unforgettable moments of cricket history, such as Sunil Gavaskar's four catches in
02:32a match in 1985, followed by Javed Myadad's last sixer in 1986 and Sachin Tendulkar's
02:42twin centuries against Australia.
02:46Those knocks were truly like a desert storm that cricket fans can never forget.
02:54It's this very stadium that has experienced agony, ecstasy, happiness, sadness, guts,
03:02glory and every possible emotion.
03:05But at the end, cricket has always emerged victorious.
03:11Recently, Sharjah Cricket Stadium entitled the world record of the highest number, 282
03:19international matches.
03:22The stadium that witnessed classics, featuring the world's best cricket teams.
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