This venue (Al Amerat Cricket Stadium) is similar to Lords. It’s just beautiful.” These were the words of Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian cricket captain and current President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), when I met him in Muscat on Sunday at the opening game of the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup.
Ten years ago, there was not a single grass field in Oman. 18 years ago, as a school boy, I remember travelling 45 km away from capital Muscat to play cricket on sand and cement. During those days, my friends who used to play in the annual league tournament returned home getting hurt, simply because they were playing on hard gravel grounds.
Fast-forward 2021, Oman is currently hosting the biggest global event at Al Amerat. “When we built this nine years ago, who would have imagined we will host a World Cup?,” Pankaj Khimji, Oman Cricket Chairman, says with a beaming smile, while speaking to The Arabian Stories.
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Originally scheduled to take place in India, it was decided earlier this year that the prestigious tournament would be moved to Oman and neighbouring UAE amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “We’re truly honoured and privileged that the ICC and BCCI has considered us. Now we have achieved our 2040 vision of putting Oman in the minds of the people globally, it gives me lots of satisfaction,” says Pankaj.
Al Amerat Cricket Stadium was refurbished in the space of 90 days before the T20 World Cup. The stadium’s seating capacity has been upgraded to a 5,000-seat infrastructure; the venue’s lighting system has been enhanced and a stunning press box and media center have also been added. “It was a fantastic logistic and project management exercise,” he says.
While the Sultanate celebrates the success of hosting an international event of this magnitude, the one man who deserves the credit is Pankaj Khimji himself. For Oman cricket team and its members, Pankaj Bhai (as he is fondly called as) is a hero and an inspiration but for me, he is a warrior who tirelessly worked hard to promote the game, the man whose unwavering determination led to building a cricket stadium that everyone in this great nation can be proud-off. “It’s just not me. I must say without my team leaders and the stakeholders, this would have not been possible. They deserve the credits for this,” adds Pankaj with a smile.
