Oman says 'Goodbye' to Cricket World Cup due to tropical storm Shaheen
October 6, 2021, 9:27 am

Oman says 'Goodbye' to Cricket World Cup due to tropical storm Shaheen

Representative image-Storm/Pixabay

The chairman of Oman's cricket board told Reuters he would have had to wave “Goodbye” to the Twenty20 World Cup had a deadly storm that ripped through the Gulf state on Sunday taken a slightly different path.

The Dawn reported citing Reuters, eleven people were killed as heavy winds and rain swept through the country after tropical storm Shaheen made landfall in Oman.

The Gulf state will host six Group B matches at Al Amerat near Muscat, including three involving their own team, and Oman Cricket Chairman Pankaj Khimji said they were “very fortunate” to have missed the worst of the storm.

He told Reuters: “We were so close to being virtually wiped out.”

“We had the cyclone only a few nautical miles north. It made the landfall there and it's devastated that whole region and flooded the whole plain over there.

Representative image

“Had this had happened over here in this area, I'd have said 'Goodbye' to the World Cup.”

While a handful of hospitality tents bore the brunt of the storm, the organisers were pleased with the greener look of the outfield following the intense rain.

Khimji said: “We got about three to four inches of rain,” adding, “And that made the ground even more lush and greener, it looks even prettier now. It washed off all the dirt and sand.”

According to the report, the tournament was moved to the United Arab Emirates and Oman from India due to a Covid-19 surge and Khimji said it was a huge honour for minnows of the cricket world to stage such a prestigious event.

He said: “This cricket coming to Oman is gigantic,” and “To think that there will be tens of millions of people watching the first game, it's overwhelming to an extent.

“How often will an associate country get a chance to host and play in the World Cup at the same time? This is unreal, I'm living a dream.”

Zeeshan Maqsood will lead a bunch of Omani amateurs in the tournament and Khimji was hopeful they could make the Super 12 stage with a top-two finish in Group B, which also includes Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea.

“They have been fantastic. These are rank amateurs, they have a job which they do nine-to-five, and they've taken a month or two off just to compete in this World Cup.”

The report mentioned, England arrived in Muscat on Tuesday to begin their 10-day preparatory camp before the Super 12 stage in the United Arab Emirates.

It noted that the World Cup gets underway on October 17.

Source: dawn

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During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
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Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
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