Events 2008
Windies vs Pakistan in Abu Dhabi
(View photos from Nov. 14 ODI match)West Indies will be playing Pakistan in 3 one day internationals (ODIs) at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on November 12th, 14th and 16th.
Source: Cricinfo
- If you live in Dubai, you can purchase tickets at Al Mansoor Audio & Video in Bur Dubai. Call Al Mansoor Audio & Video at 04 3970800 for more information.
- In Abu Dhabi, tickets are on sale at the Stadium and Al Mansoor Audio & Video.
Ads on radio 1 (104.1 FM in Dubai and 100.5 in Abu Dhabi.) In addition, Etisalat has sent out text messages promoting ticket give-aways.
Meet the Prime Minister
Citizens of Trinidad
and Tobago and their spouses are invited to meet the Prime Minister and
Finance Minister of Trinidad & Tobago
When:
Monday, November 3, 2008
Venue:
Al Waha Room, 6th floor at
The Grand Millennium Hotel,
Dubai - Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Barsha South - TECOM
Time:
6:00
p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (please note
change in start time.)
Suggested Dress Code:
Evening Casual; Red, White and Black
View
photos
Prime Minister and
Finance Minister to Visit the U.A.E.
Source: Trinidad and
Tobago's Newsday
(Oct. 28, 2008)PRIME Minister Patrick Manning and Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira will fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tomorrow (October 29) to further negotiations on the TT International Financial Centre (IFC).
Manning and Nunez-Tesheira will meet with government and industry officials to discuss plans and goals for the IFC. In 2009, the IFC will incur an estimated $18 million in consultancy fees alone, according to the Draft Estimates of Expenditure for 2009.
Government has engaged top experts to advise and guide development of the IFC, including PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Oliver Wyman, Patton Boggs LLP, IBM and others.
In June, a delegation of the Ministry of Finance including Nunez-Tesheira, Central Bank Governor Ewart Williams, chairman of First Citizen Bank Samuel Martin, president of the Tourism Development Company Earnest Little and IFC official Hazel Marcelle, travelled to Dubai and Qatar.
The delegation secured approval from financial leaders in Dubai to work closely on the opening of the IFC. The IFC will promote commercial banking and investment opportunities in: downstream energy projects; commodities finance and trading based on the country’s energy sector products; large-scale real estate development, resorts and tourism; and transportation projects such as ports, airports, shipping and support facilities.
View related story
West Indies Calls off Abu Dhabi Tests!
Source: Cricinfo (Oct. 28, 2008)The proposed Test series between West Indies and Pakistan, planned originally for Abu Dhabi in November, will not be going ahead, after West Indies cited problems in their schedule. The decision leaves Pakistan with no Test cricket this year, despite repeated efforts by the board in the recent months to slot them in.
"The West Indies board have informed us that they cannot go ahead with the series," Salim Altaf, the Pakistan Cricket Board's director-general, told Cricinfo.
Had it gone ahead, the two-Test series would have taken place after the three ODIs between the two countries at the same venue in mid-November. The short amount of time left between now and then, however, turned out to be a hurdle.
"Their board said there wasn't enough time for them to negotiate touring terms for players with the WIPA (West Indies Player Association)," Altaf said. "They also have to go to New Zealand soon after, so the schedule would have been a bit hectic for them."
Dr Donald Peters, the WICB CEO, while making the announcement said the possibility of playing two Test matches against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi was explored by both boards but such an arrangement could not be put in place.
"There was a proposal to play two Tests matches against Pakistan, also in Abu Dhabi, but logistically this proved too difficult for us, so we had to decline that request," he said. "The team will have a camp in New Zealand as part of the build-up for what will be a very important tour. This will allow them to get fully acclimatized to the conditions."
Even if West Indies had agreed to the Tests, the financial benefits for a cash-strapped Pakistan board would have been questionable. The postponement of the Australia home series and the Champions Trophy due to security concerns has hurt Pakistan badly. Organising the series with West Indies, a board official revealed to Cricinfo, would have cost roughly US$2 million.
Whether that would have been recovered, let alone a profit made, is doubtful. Few TV broadcasters were interested in a series on neutral territory with little spectator interest. One local sports channel, said the official, offered "the grand sum of US$40,000 to broadcast the series." Though playing Tests might have helped the team, "commercially it just wasn't very viable for us," the official said. Local reports also suggested that the amount the West Indies board had asked for as payment for what would be, in effect, a home series for Pakistan, wasn't something the PCB could afford.
However, Altaf revealed that the boards had agreed to talk again in Dubai in December to try and fit the tour in to the Future Tours Programme. "That is a positive thing. We will meet again and hopefully we can organise this series at a more suitable date."
While West Indies will play two Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals and five ODIs from December 5 to January 13, Pakistan's next scheduled Test assignment is the home series against India starting in January.
© Cricinfo
Cricket Fans! West Indies propose Abu Dhabi Tests with Pakistan
Dates to watch! November 12, 14 and 16Source: Cricinfo (Oct. 23, 2008)
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has proposed a two-Test offshore series with Pakistan in November this year, an offer the fixture-starved Pakistan Cricket Board is considering.
If agreed, the Tests would take place in Abu Dhabi, after the three-ODI series between the two sides on November 12, 14 and 16. "We have received a proposal from the WICB about two Tests this November," a PCB official told Cricinfo. "Many things have to be considered, such as the TV rights, gate money and so on. We will seriously consider the proposal."
Ijaz Butt, the newly appointed chairman of the PCB, said monetary issues needed to be sorted out before confirming the Test series.
"We hope the proposal materialises and we find some sponsor for the Test matches," Butt told Associated Press. "We have to pay the West Indies Cricket Board (for the Tests) according to ICC regulations. Time is short, but I am hopeful something positive will come out."
Pakistan are likely to push for the series to happen as they haven't played a single Test this year. But apart from the financial and logistical factors, they will have to weigh up the impact of playing a Test series once again in a neutral venue.
It is territory they have covered before. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 in 2001, a number of teams refused to tour Pakistan for security reasons. The situation compelled Pakistan to play a two-Test series against West Indies in 2002 in Sharjah and then against Australia later in the year.
Increasing political instability and militant violence over the last 18 months has meant that Pakistan finds itself in a similar situation. Australia pulled out of a full tour in March and the Champions Trophy, also scheduled to be played in Pakistan, was postponed to September-October 2009 after a number of teams refused to visit due to security concerns. If the series goes ahead in Abu Dhabi, it may well set a precedent for the immediate future.
The previous PCB administration had invited West Indies for a two-Test series in Pakistan to fill gaps in their Future Tours Programme this November but turned down the offer as they still weren't convinced about the security situation.
© CricinfoRamadan Kareem! Join fellow Caribbean nationals living in the UAE for Iftaar on Friday, September 26th 2008
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel Sheikh Zayed Road (Get directions to the Crowne Plaza)
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Adults - 155 AED
Children (6yrs to 12 yrs) - 80 AED
Children under 6yrs - No charge
View pictures from the 2008 Independence Day Celebration!
Thank you to everyone who attended this year's Independence Day celebration on August 29th at The Grand Millenium Hotel.
A good deal of time and effort went in to the the preparations for this event and your support helped to make the celebration a true success.