End of an era: This Dubai cricket ground to shut down after 17 years
After 17 years of dedicated service to the sport, the G Force Cricket Academy Ground, which is within a stone's throw away from the Creek Metro Station, will cease to exist.
Gopal Jasapara, head coach and founder of Dubai's G Force Cricket Academy, confirmed that his team of coaches will now look for a new facility to train young cricketers, as their current cricket facility in the Jaddaf locality will make way for a Dubai government development project.
'We have received an email from the authorities to vacate the ground by June 30,' Jasapara told the Khaleej Times.
'This ground means a lot to us. This is where we have developed a lot of young players — many of them went on to play for the UAE national team, both at the senior level and at the age-group level,' he added.
'But this place will now be developed by the government for something much bigger. So I want to take this opportunity to thank the authorities for allowing us to train young cricketers here for so many years.'
Normal cricket activities will continue on the ground until June 29.
'Now, what we will try to do is to celebrate the success of 17 years of this beautiful cricket ground. We have received a lot of messages from parents and also from former international players who came to this ground as guest coaches to give coaching masterclasses,' Jasapara said.
'Even the national teams of Japan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have trained here. Everybody loved this place and the facilities.'
The veteran Indian coach hopes to find a new ground before the start of the next outdoor season in September.
'We are already in talks with people,' he said. 'And we are very hopeful of finding a new place where we can continue to train aspiring young cricketers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
8 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Newbury and Jebel Ali Racecourse cement ties following successful race collaboration
Mr Ubiquitous delivered a stunning performance to land the Jebel Ali Racecourse Handicap in impressive fashion at the Newbury Racecourse. Ridden by Jack Nicholls and trained by Harry Eustace, the three-year-old gelding surged late between horses to win by half a length, confirming his upward trajectory. Mr Ubiquitous was drawn in stall 2 and settled at the rear of the seven-runner field. As the pace quickened with two furlongs to run, Nicholls—still in only his second season in the saddle—showed maturity beyond his years. He waited patiently for a gap to appear before switching left, then slicing between rivals to produce a powerful burst that took him to the front inside the final 100 yards. The race, run over seven furlongs on good to firm ground, saw This Farh (trained by David Loughnane) dictate matters from the front, hitting the lead over a furlong out under Rossa Ryan. For a moment, it looked like he might hold on, but Mr Ubiquitous's finishing speed proved too much. Tolerance, trained by George Boughey and ridden by William Buick, finished strongly from off the pace but was always doing his best work too late, finishing another length behind in third. 'It is always a pleasure to be at Newbury Racecourse — a racecourse that reflects excellence,' said Mohamed Al Ahmed, General Manager of Jebel Ali Racecourse. 'I was delighted to see a vibrant crowd and new initiatives introduced to enhance the race day experience. 'On behalf of Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Board Members of Newbury Racecourse for their continued guidance and support. 'Their leadership has been instrumental in strengthening our international relations and expanding the global presence, and to the leadership at Newbury for their warm hospitality. 'Our long-standing relationship, built over two decades, is more than symbolic; it is a strategic partnership built on shared values and a mutual vision for the future of racing. 'We look forward to further collaboration and to welcoming our Newbury counterparts in Dubai in the near future,' he added. 'Newbury Racecourse was delighted to welcome Mohamed Ahmed, General Manager at Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables and to stage a race in celebration of our enduring friendship and partnership which extends more than two decades,' said Shaun Hinds, CEO Newbury Racecourse. 'The Jebel Ali Racecourse Handicap was well supported and saw Harry Eustace's Mr Ubiquitous bring up a hat-trick in Dubai-style sunshine. 'Despite continents separating our respective venues we share many core values with an emphasis on delivering a first class racing experience for participants and racegoers driving everything we do. I look forward to visiting Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables again and, in the meantime, closely following their development plans,' Hinds added.
Khaleej Times
11 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
ICC announces new cricket rules as playing conditions change across formats
The International Cricket Council announced new rules for playing conditions across the Test, ODI and T20I formats. These changes range from ball usage to concussion replacements, and were recommended by the ICC Men's Cricket Committee, headed by Sourav Ganguly. The new playing conditions commenced with the first match of the new World Test Championship on June 17, played between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh The new playing conditions for ODIs and T20Is will commence during the same Sri Lanka against Bangladesh series, with the first of three ODIs from July 2, and a three-match T20I series from July 10. Here are a list of the changes that have been introduced: Stop clock After a successful introduction in white-ball cricket, Test cricket will also see a stop clock. This means after 1 over is completed, the bowling team needs to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within 60 seconds. Failure to do so for the third time in an innings (following two warnings) will result in a five-run penalty imposed against the fielding team on each occasion. Two warning sanctions will be reset to zero after 80 overs have passed, in line with a new ball becoming available, and again after any future blocks of 80 overs in that innings. Number of balls per ODI innings Two new balls will be used for the first 34 overs of an ODI innings. After this, the fielding team will choose one of the balls for the remaining overs. Boundary catches A fielder who makes airborne contact with the ball beyond the boundary must then land and remain inside the boundary. A fielder, after making their first contact with the ball subsequently leaves the field of play, can only make contact with the ball once more while airborne beyond the boundary. Having done so, they must land and remain wholly within the boundary. This applies even if another player completes the fielding. This change will be implemented in international cricket before it is included in the MCC Laws of Cricket next year. Deliberate short runs Adding to the present five-run penalty for a deliberate short run, the fielding team will also choose which of the two batters takes strike for the next delivery. DRS wicket zone The wicket zone will now be the actual outline of the stumps and bails. Concussion protocols Teams will now be required to nominate their designated concussion replacements for the match. This curbs the advantage previously held by home teams, who have typically been able to choose from a larger pool of potential replacements. A player diagnosed with a concussion during a match must observe a minimum stand-down period of a minimum of seven days before returning to play. This change has been recommended by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee to support players' safety and well-being. Further changes to be trialled In addition to these changes, additional ones will be implemented from October 2025 for an initial 6-month period. Replacement players (domestic first-class cricket) A player who suffers a serious injury on the field of play at any time after the match has started (including any pre-match warm-up period) may be replaced for the remainder of the match by a fully participating like-for-like player. Wide Ball Trial (ODI and T20I cricket) The position of the batter's legs at the point of delivery will now be used as the reference point for a wide, even if the batter subsequently moves across to the off side. A ball that passes the popping crease between the leg stump and the protected area marker will not be called a wide. To help with this, the protected area marker line will be extended to the popping crease and act as a guide for the umpires. Any leg side delivery that passes behind the batter's legs and outside of the line at the time the ball reaches the popping crease may still be called a wide. Previously, a wide had been called for a delivery that would not have been called wide if the batter had retained their normal batting position.
Khaleej Times
14 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Look: UAE President hugs kids, interacts with expats at Abu Dhabi sports event
Time after time, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan proves that he is truely the 'people's president'. Images emerging from a recent sports event held in Abu Dhabi have shed another light on this humanitarian aspect in the UAE leader's character. The photos shared on social media showed Sheikh Mohamed talking with kids, shaking their hands and hugging them in tender fatherly gestures. Take a look: In a sign of appreciation and love to Sheikh Mohamed, some children placed a kiss on the leader's forehead The children, who wore sports attire, were participating in Abu Dhabi Summer Sports (ADSS); the Middle East's largest indoor sports festival, held annually at the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi. Designed to provide a fun, safe, and healthy escape from the summer heat, ADSS includes events for sports like football, basketball, tennis, badminton, padel, volleyball, table tennis, cricket. During his visit to encourage the athletes, Sheikh Mohamed also talked to expats and posed for photos with them. Such heartwarming encounters with the President occur occasionally. During US President's Donald Trump's recent visit to the UAE, a young Emirati girl was waiting among the crowds to welcome him. She caught the attention of Sheikh Mohamed who interacted with her. And at one point, he was seen putting an arm around her as she smiled and placing a kiss on her forehead. In October, Sheikh Mohamed personally expressed his gratitude to a group of foster mothers who have been taking care of children with all their hearts.
