Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ricky Ponting and Imran Khan have all had their photographs taken with the World Cup, and even you can too when the trophy travels to different Emirates over the next six days.
The trophy will be on display today at 16:00 at Maxway Talent Cricket Academy (Al Nasr Sports Club, Dubai), tomorrow during the final ODI match between Pakistan and Australia, and on October 17 at Sharjah Cricket Academy at 17:30.
The trophy returned to Dubai on Wednesday evening, having left the ICC headquarters in July for its world tour. The prestigious trophy was received at the ICC Academy by the UAE national team coach Aaqib Javed, who lifted the trophy as a player when Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup.
The former fast-medium pace bowler claimed two wickets to help Pakistan beat England by 22 runs in that final at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
He spoke about receiving the trophy and wants to inspire the UAE when they play in next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where they will clash with India, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland in Group B.
Javed said: “This trophy holds a special place in every cricketer’s heart. It is the biggest prize in international cricket. The UAE will be playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1996 and we are confident of putting in a performance that will make our fans proud.”
And he has urged people in the UAE to take up the opportunity of getting their photograph taken with the trophy.
He added: “It’s a great honour for the people to have their photo taken with the trophy because this is the biggest trophy in cricket.
“It’s good to get associated with the sport and it will add a lot of interest and can inspire youngsters to take up the sport. There’s been a lot of positives for UAE cricket with the team qualifying for the 2014 World Twenty20 and 2015 World Cup. It is great to have the trophy here in a country that will be participating in the tournament next year.”
And Emirates Cricket Board chief David East echoed Javed’s view.
He said: “We are thrilled to welcome the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy to the UAE as part of its official worldwide tour and we are confident it will be warmly received and celebrated. As the UAE team embarks on their journey to the Cricket World Cup 2015, we look forward to seeing the people of the UAE rally behind and support it in its mission.”
What: World Cup Trophy Tour in the UAE
Where: Selected venues
When: Today (16:00 at Maxtalent Cricket Academy, Al Nasr Sports Club, Dubai), tomorrow (during the Pakistan v Australia ODI match at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi), and Friday, October 17 (17:30 at Sharjah Cricket Academy)
Contact: www.icc-cricket.com
