Cricket in the Middle East: Graeme Smith on the Region’s Rise

Cricket in the Middle East: Graeme Smith on the Region’s Rise

The former South Africa captain explains how Pakistan’s UAE years, major tournaments and landmark grounds helped make the region part of cricket’s international calendar.

Graeme Smith’s clearest Middle East memory begins with South Africa needing a response.

Pakistan’s win in Abu Dhabi left South Africa 1–0 down. The picture changed in Dubai. Smith made 234, added 338 with AB de Villiers and helped secure victory by an innings and 92 runs.

The innings gives Smith a route into a larger story. In Betway’s Cricket in the Middle East, he considers how the region became a setting for bilateral series, franchise competitions and global tournaments.

What Does Smith Say About Cricket in the Middle East?

The 79-second film, published in July 2024 and embedded on this page, moves between three themes: Pakistan’s role in establishing regular elite cricket in the Gulf, the grounds Smith remembers and the opportunity to engage another generation of supporters.

Smith speaks as a captain who played in the UAE and SA20’s League Commissioner, linking his playing experience with the work of growing a franchise competition.

Smith uses ‘the Middle East’ as his frame, although the places he discusses are mostly in the UAE, notably Dubai and Sharjah. His account is personal rather than comprehensive.

How Did the UAE Become Pakistan’s Home Base?

March 2009 changed Pakistan’s calendar. After Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked in Lahore, leading sides were reluctant to visit. Pakistan began staging many of its designated home matches in the UAE. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah carried that schedule while international cricket gradually found its way back to Pakistan.

That long run of matches gave the UAE more than isolated occasions. Full Test, ODI and T20I series followed, giving the grounds experience in each format.

Why Does Smith Remember His 234 in Dubai?

Smith’s double century came in October 2013. Pakistan’s 99 all out still left South Africa to negotiate Saeed Ajmal on a surface the home attack knew well.

Ten hours passed before Ajmal finally dismissed Smith. Smith finished with 234. De Villiers contributed 164. Together, he and Smith put on 338 for the fifth wicket. South Africa reached 517 in all, a total recorded in the full scorecard.

It was not Smith’s highest Test score. South Africa had arrived in Dubai one down in a two-Test series. Smith’s 234 set up the innings victory that squared it.

Where Do Sharjah and Dubai Enter the Story?

In Smith’s telling, Sharjah comes first. Dubai follows.

Sharjah staged its first ODI in 1984. South Asian teams returned regularly for later limited-overs tournaments. Dubai International Cricket Stadium followed in 2009 with its own ODI debut. It later became a familiar setting for Pakistan’s adopted home fixtures.

Past records are not permanent guides to conditions. Pitch preparation, season, format and matches under lights can all affect how a ground plays.

How Did Major Tournaments Extend the UAE’s Role?

Pakistan’s schedule established regularity. Several teams arriving on one compressed schedule would demand something different.

The IPL’s first UAE visit covered only part of the 2014 season: its opening 20 matches. In 2020, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi took on the entire tournament. The league returned the next year to complete a season that had started in India.

Then came the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup. After it was moved to the UAE and Oman, most matches went to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi; Oman hosted part of the opening round. The ICC pointed to the UAE’s record of staging events for several teams.

Dubai and Sharjah had another World Cup assignment in 2024: the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs in the final. The ICC’s retrospective recounts the tournament.

Those newer events built on an existing cricket culture. Decades of international matches had already brought audiences to these grounds.

Where Does SA20 Fit into Smith’s Outlook?

Smith describes the Middle East as an important audience for SA20’s growth. In the film, the emphasis is reach rather than relocation.

SA20’s website continues to identify Smith as League Commissioner of the tournament that began in 2023.

His final theme is the next generation. Major matches can give young viewers players to follow and performances to imitate. Turning that attention into lasting participation, however, also requires coaching, facilities and opportunities to play.

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