In the saddest news of the day, the curator of Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, named Mohan Singh, has passed away today, moments before the thrilling encounter between New Zealand and Afghanistan that was destined to seal the fate of India, that was about to be played on the exact same ground.
Mohan Singh, who was of Indian origin, had served Abu Dhabi Cricket for over 15 years.
Abu Dhabi Cricket released a statement moments after the news of the tragic incident went viral. They wrote, “Mohan has been with Abu Dhabi Cricket for 15 years and has played a pivotal role in all of the venue’s success during that time. Tributes to Mohan and his incredible achievements will be honoured in the coming days.”
ICC also acknowledged the incident. They said, “We are deeply saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, Abu Dhabi Cricket and everyone connected with the event.”
Sheikh Zayed Stadium has always been one of the trickiest turfs to play on, in the vicinity of UAE. A big ground whatsoever, Sheikh Zayed Stadium will make your life hell if you bat first as it is in general a low-scoring ground.
When Afghanistan opted to bat first against New Zealand today despite winning the toss, it pretty much shocked every Cricket enthusiast for the exact same reason.
New Zealand were quick to use the shortcomings of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium to their advantage and they forced the Afghan batters to play long shots which were caught by the Kiwis pretty conveniently.
While batting, the New Zealand batsmen took all the time they needed to chase down the meagre total of 124 and yet won by a big margin of 8 wickets, thus eliminating India from the tournament.