Sharjah International Cricket stadium is situated in the Arab country in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. With time it has been a great spot to arrange international matches. Till now it has hosted almost 240+ ODI matches. Sharjah’s first ODI was hosted in the early stages of the 1980s and had been making drastic changes over the year to provide a better quality of the cricketing ground.
The stadium has hosted some international fixtures in 1984, not only this after the pandemic every country was got hit by covid. The Sharjah stadium turned out to be a good spot to conduct ICC Men’s T20 world cup in such a hard time without any fear.
Sharjah International Cricket stadium
- Sharjah stadium was started hosting PSL seasons over the years.
- One of the famous T10 leagues which generally takes place between some new talents and Star players. Both types of players get mixed and play a 90 min match of 10 overs hosting a single inning for each.Even players like Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Peterson have also taken part in such events.
- The final of Blind Cricket World Cup of 2018 was hosted in Sharjah only. The match was against India vs Pakistan in which India won a nail bitter by defeating Pakistan by 2 wickets and carving their name on the trophy.
- 206 ODI has played in Sharjah stadium from 1984 to 2003. The matches are hosted as a significant part of sponsored tournaments consisting of 3-4 global teams. Sharjah used to attract many Asian and crowded Arab populations in the stadium, and it became a famous center for arranging such fixtures.
- Sharjah stadium even hosted tournaments organized by CBFS (Cricketers benefit fund series), showing great honor and respect to the current and previous generation of Pakistan and Indian, reflecting their good gesture and good service delivering quality to Cricket.
- One of the world’s most significant leagues, the Indian Premier League, was recently hosted in UAE due to a pandemic. Even 2014 and 2020 IPL was hosted in UAE only.
Afghanistan’s Home Ground (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)
In 2010 stadium was allotted as the home ground/cricket stadium for Afghanistan’s cricket team, so that they could play their One-day internationals and first-class fixtures on the same ground. Later on, in 2016, the Afghanistan cricket board decide to shift their cricketing home ground to India in Greater Noida Sports Complex in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Rise of Sharjah Cricket Stadium
With the creation of the Sharjah stadium, it had a limited number of seats that couldn’t handle the massive crowd at a time, providing some decent facilities. By 2002, capacity was increased to 17,000 with the setup of floodlights in the stadium.
2003 onwards increase in craze for Cricket for the crowd has produced opportunities for organizing significant international events at Sharjah cricket stadium. In 2004 ICC international cup was held, and which also used by another team as home ground. In 2011, Sharjah stadium was booked a mark in the Guinness Book of Records as it hosted 240 ODI matches in 2019, a significant number.
Type of Pitch at Sharjah
Recently matches of the Indian premier league, Pakistani Premier league, and ICC Men’s world cup were hosted on the same venue. Pitch showed more promise to spinners and medium pace bowlers. The pitch is quite dry and dusty with a more rigid surface, favoring the pacer. Batters once get set after spending some time on the pitch; he can score high runs. It’s not a kind of surface where you can directly come and start slogging. The pitch shows little grass with cracks on the surface, allowing the ball to go on bat nicely. The more you will play, the pitch gets worse and worse.
Usually, the Sharjah pitch is more batting-friendly as it is hard, and the ball comes on the bat, and there is not much swing seen at the location. Currently, it doesn’t matter much whether your bat first or second pitch behavior will be kind of the same.
Recent Major Updates in Sharjah
- The stadium association is now creating the latest enhancement with turf wickets and 4 Astro-turf wickets, where multiple teams can practice at the same ground simultaneously as per their schedule.
- The Saun swimming pool area is developed with some enriched amendments.
- Considering the importance of other leagues and other international guests, 11 VIP suites have developed with the new dining place and hospitality services in the top seat of the pavilion side.-
- Some future amendments are to be made in the parking facility for the fans to accommodate their car and other vehicles comfortably in the parking area without any struggle.
Tickets & Stay at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
If one is interested in the match of their supporting tine, he can look for a window ticket counter in the stadium itself. If one cannot visit personally, only the events page makes tickets online. Prices of tickets may vary according to the matches of the team and the demand of people. Prices may also vary as per seating arrangement and view. as we know upper tear of seats is on the cheaper side and lower, and pavilion seats are higher in price. The regular pricing for a Sharjah ticket is 8.42 US Dollars.
People travel from state to state, country to country, to support their and cheer their favorite team. Nearby is staying is an essential factor for the ease of the fans where they can freely stay after witnessing the match.
There are some popular hotels available nearby stadium to save precious time for fans like:
- Rayan Hotel Sharjah
- Marbella resort
- Ibis Styles
- Citymax Sharjah hotel
The Sharjah cricket stadium has been an exciting and life-saving venue for the game of Cricket. It has hosted some of the preeminent international tournaments and matches in the pandemic where Cricket or big leagues was a tough talk in other countries. It has improved over the years from the stadium’s capacity to facilities and game assets. It has become a hotspot for hosting leagues that happen around the world.