Even Film Stars Wanted To Attend First Asia Cup In Sharjah, Says Cricket Official Khaleej Times

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

After a deadly military conflict, accusations and counteraccusations, bitter rivals India and Pakistan will headline the 2025 edition of the eight-team Asia Cup T20 tournament (September 9-28) in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Originally scheduled to be hosted in India, political tensions with Pakistan compelled the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to bring the Asia Cup to the UAE.

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Remarkably, it was the UAE that hosted the inaugural edition of the Asia Cup in 1984.

Mazhar Khan, general Manager of Sharjah Cricket Stadium, still remembers the euphoria among the South Asian communities after the UAE was named the host of the first continental event featuring India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“There was a massive demand for tickets after the announcement. The tournament had a lot of spice in it; even the film stars (from India and Pakistan) and all other big celebrities wanted to be here for the tournament,” Khan told the Khaleej Times.

“It was a star-studded event and I remember Sunil Gavaskar was India's captain, Zaheer Abbas was leading Pakistan, and Sri Lanka was led by Duleep Mendis.”

Mendis, one of the heroes of Sri Lankan cricket in the 1980s, will be back in the UAE now for this edition of the Asia Cup as the Oman head coach.

The UAE also had a role in the formation of the Asian Cricket Council, with Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, the visionary Emirati cricket administrator, leading the movement to develop the sport in the Middle East region.

“The Asian Cricket Council was formed in 1983 and Emirati cricket officials, including Mr. Bukhatir, attended the meeting in 1983, where they decided to start the Asia Cup tournament. And then we hosted the first tournament in 1984,” Khan said.

The 1984 Asia Cup was also the first official cricket tournament in the Middle East.

“We had just built the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the Asia Cup was our first big international tournament,” Khan said.

“The crowd was amazing, we had full houses in all matches. It was a highly successful first edition of the Asia Cup.”

Less than a year after pulling off the biggest cricket upset of the 20th century by beating the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final, India played superb cricket in the inaugural Asia Cup, winning both their matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to clinch the title.

For Dilip Vengsarkar, one of the world's best batsmen in the 1980s, the first Asia Cup in Sharjah brings back some wonderful memories.

“We won the tournament with Surinder Khanna playing some very good knocks. It was a great tournament for us and it was also our first opportunity to play an official cricket tournament in the Middle East,” the former Indian captain told the Khaleej Times.

“The atmosphere was electrifying; the crowd came in huge numbers. A lot of Indian and Pakistani expats in the UAE, so it was quite incredible to play those matches here for the first time. It was a great experience playing that tournament in Sharjah.”

As the UAE gears up to host the Asia Cup for the fifth time, having also staged the event in 1995, 2018 and 2022, Vengsarkar hailed the contributions made by the cricket administrators of this country to the growth of the game.

“Earlier, Sharjah was the only stadium; now they have wonderful stadiums in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But Sharjah had a big role in developing the game in the UAE,” he said.

“Back in the day, they also started the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) for cricketers, which was a great initiative. So, their contribution has been great.”

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