T20 World Cup 2021: UAE stadiums to accommodate 70% fans, Oman reels from cyclone

Cricket fans worldwide have their eyes on the calendar with the 2021 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup being around the corner. The gala tournament will get underway on October 17 with the matches taking place in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Owing to ease in COVID-19 restrictions, stadiums in UAE will operate at 70 percent capacity for the competition.

However, conditions for the matches in Oman are yet to be fully assessed following a cyclone. A tropical cyclone named Shaheen struck coastal areas of Oman on Sunday (October 3) including the capital city Muscat. As per a statement released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), around 3,000 fans would be accommodated at Al Amerat stadium in Muscat. However, the cyclone left streets of the city underwater. This has prompted evacuations from coastal areas and even all kinds of flights were delayed.

For the unversed, Oman will host the preliminary rounds of the tournament which will take place between October 17 and October 21. Four top sides then join the other 8 teams in UAE for the remaining competition. Notably, the T20 World Cup was initially scheduled to take place in India. However, COVID-19 crisis meant the action is shifted to UAE.

T20 World Cup will be the biggest global cricket event since the pandemic: ICC

Nevertheless, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been closely working with ICC and its authorities for the smooth conduct of the competition. “The T20 World Cup is the largest sporting event to be held in the region and it will be the biggest global cricket event since the pandemic with fans in the stadium,” read ICC’s statement.

“In the UAE all venues will be operating at approximately 70 percent of maximum seated capacity, whilst Abu Dhabi has also introduced new socially distanced ‘pods’ of a maximum of four spectators on their east and west grass mounds,” it said.

Besides Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai are the two other venues in the UAE. Meanwhile, UAE is currently hosting the second installment of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The lucrative competition will end on October 15 and a week later, England will meet reigning champions West Indies in the opening game of the super 12 stage.

 Check the latest updates of the T20 World Cup schedule, T20 World cup Teams and Squads, T20 World Cup Points table, and more on CricTracker.