ABU DHABI 30 November 2017: As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrates the momentous occasions of Martyr’s (November 30) and National Day (December 2), Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) will mark the occasion with a cricketing fest.
Starting November 29, Abu Dhabi will witness six matches across different competitions featuring UAE, Nepal, Afghanistan, Kenya and the United States of America (USA). Fans can enjoy this cricket bonanza for free during the National Day Week.
The first was yesterday when UAE took on Afghanistan in their ICC Intercontinental Cup 2015-17 clash at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. This is a four-day First-Class match. So far, Afghanistan are unbeaten in the ongoing edition of the Intercontinental Cup. Meanwhile, the UAE are coming off victories against Namibia and Papua New Guinea in their recent games.
The UAE will then move onto the shorter format to face Nepal in two ICC World Cricket League Championship 2015-17 matches on December 6 and 8 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. These matches will be 50-over List A encounters. Food concessions will be arranged for the convenience of the fans during these matches.
Matthew Boucher, the Acting CEO of ADC said, “The recent success of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka bilateral series has given a new heartbeat to cricket in the Emirate and we are pleased to have more international games in Abu Dhabi. We at Abu Dhabi Cricket are always proud to host the UAE, particularly during this momentous occasion of National Day and invite the fans to join in the cricketing celebration.”
In addition to that, the USA, Kenya and Nepal will clash in a 50-over tri-nation tournament from December 1 to 3. These matches will take place at the Nursery Oval 2 within the ADC facility. “One of our aims is to help the game grow and such tournaments are crucial to that endeavour. This is an important assignment for the USA, Nepal and Kenya as they continue their climb on the cricketing ladder,” Boucher said.
Leading up to the tri-series, the USA team will conduct a training session with the players at the Zayed Cricket Academy on November 30. Boucher said, “It is great to have the USA team share their experiences with the Zayed Cricket Academy boys and girls. This session will help the youngsters work on their skills and get inspired by players who are representing their country.”
The following is the schedule of the upcoming matches at Abu Dhabi:
ICC Intercontinental Cup
• UAE vs Afghanistan – Zayed Cricket Stadium – November 29-December 2, 2017 – 09:30 AM start
TRI-Nation One-Day Tournament
• USA vs Nepal – Nursery Oval 2 – December 1, 2017 – 9:00 AM start
• USA vs Kenya – Nursery Oval 2 – December 2, 2017 – 9:00 AM start
• Kenya vs Nepal – Nursery Oval 2 – December 3, 2017 – 9:00 AM start
ICC World Cricket League Championship
• UAE vs Nepal – Zayed Cricket Stadium – December 6, 2017 – 10:00 AM start
• UAE vs Nepal – Zayed Cricket Stadium – December 8, 2017 – 10:00 AM start