Dubai Cricket Council in no position to set targets or meet them
The ECB, under which the DCC functions, has strangely not bothered to address the DCC’s plight. Incidentally, Dubai has some of the strongest clubs in the UAE, but faces the situation of being under a council that exists on paper only.
There was a time when the Dubai Cricket Council ( DCC) would be the first in the country to announce its calendar of tournaments for the year. In stark contrast, the council is yet to announce its schedule although the season is now four months old. Simply put, it is an inactive council struggling for survival.
The DCC seems to be headed down the same path as the UAE Hockey Committee ( UAEHC). The latter virtually destroyed hockey in the country, with the lethargy of some of the top officials — who preferred the spotlight at prize distribution ceremonies of private tournaments rather than deliver their duties — having telling effect.
It’s been nearly a decade since the DCC grounds in the Jadaf area made way for the construction of Dubai Health Care City, but the council is yet to find a home for its activities. During this peri- od, a few companies and some enthusiastic individuals have managed to create grounds and stage tournaments to keep the show going, while the DCC preferred to pay rent to these ground owners to stage their tournaments.
Club tournaments
Though inactive and hardly contributing to the game, the DCC remained prompt in collecting tournament fees from private clubs for their tournaments. With no registered DCC office, clubs and organisations hoping to stage tournaments now find it hard to even contact the officials. While a few club owners in Dubai question this attitude, recently a private club went ahead and organised their tournament without waiting for permission from the DCC, getting the approval of the Dubai Sports Council instead.
The Emirates Cricket Board ( ECB), under which the DCC functions, has strangely not bothered to address the DCC’s plight. Interestingly, the ECB had announced the formation of a Domestic Cricket Development Committee some time back but has done little of note for the game in Dubai. It would be worth remembering that the DCC, during its active days under the leadership of Vikram Kaul and Leroy Lindsay, two enthusiastic officials, had staged the maximum number of tournaments in the UAE. They boasted a cricket academy and their schools’ tournament was the best in the country.
Incidentally, Dubai has some of the strongest clubs in the UAE but faces the unfortunate situation of being under a council that exists on paper only.
The ECB, instead of brushing off the problem, must revamp the council as it’s a critical cog in the wheel that keeps the game running in the country. Dubai is the headquarters of the International Cricket Council, and it is indeed pathetic that the council that governs cricket out of this region is in such a pitiable state.