Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, today attended the International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City.

His Highness said that the UAE has demonstrated that it is capable of welcoming the world and that it is the ideal place to host major international events in different sectors, including sports. The UAE’s ability to cope with rapid global changes and its strong track record in organising large events, has enabled it to attract many international events this year including the ICC T20 World Cup tournaments, which are being held in the region for the first time, Sheikh Mansoor said.

The match was also attended by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Chairman of Emirates Cricket Board; His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council; His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, and His Excellency Abdul Rahim Mohammed Al Zarooni, Founder and Chairman of Dubai Sports City.

His Highness said: "Today, one of the most anticipated sporting events by millions of cricket fans was successfully hosted in Dubai at the Dubai International Stadium. The emirate’s sports sector has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. This was made possible by the strong support and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to develop the industry,” His Highness said.

His Highness also expressed his happiness that every resident and visitor to the country feels at home in the UAE, finding events and activities they love, including major sports events that bring top sports stars from their home countries to their midst, like the ongoing ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, which comes on the heels of the highly successful hosting of the Indian Premier League over the past two seasons.

Khalid Al Zarooni, President of Dubai Sports City; Sourav Ganguly, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Ramiz Raja, Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, were also present at the game alongside Jay Shah, Secretary of the BCCI, HE Afzaal Mahmood, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to UAE, HE Pavan Kapoor, India’s Ambassador to the UAE, and Geoff Allardice, Interim CEO of International Cricket Council and it’s General Manager Cricket also attended the match.

Around 20,000 spectators watched the game in person under the “Ring of Fire” at Dubai International Stadium, and more than a billion cricket fans followed the game from their homes around the globe, especially as this was the first match between the two South Asian rivals since their ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 match at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, England.

The match represents the pinnacle of competition in cricket due to the popularity of cricket in the two countries, which provide more than 90 per cent of cricket’s 1.039 billion fans worldwide.

Dubai will host 13 matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, including the final on 14 November. The matches are being followed by large Indian and Pakistani expat community that live in the UAE, along with thousands of fans from cricket-loving countries including: England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.