Sharjah: Sharjah Cricket Stadium's record of hosting 200 one-day Internationals will stand for a long time, according to Vin Sharma, Group Talent Manager of Guinness World Records.
Sharma presented a certificate commemorating the landmark to Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), during the fourth one-day match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Sunday.
For Sharma, presenting the certificate honouring the venue was a special feeling. Speaking to Gulf News, Sharma, who flew in from London for the presentation, said: "To officially present the record achievement is an amazing feeling personally and professionally.
"As a child I grew up watching those great matches that were held here, especially the India-Pakistan contests. It is a historic stadium and it deserves to be in the Guinness Book of Records."
Sharma elaborated on how Sharjah Cricket Stadium achieved the honour. "We have a specialist in cricket who was aware of this record for some time. Manu Gautam, who is also a cricket fan, did the research.
"To enter the record book it was a long process with lots of research involved. We found that Sydney Cricket Stadium has only hosted 138 matches and Sharjah had already completed 200 matches. Sharjah Cricket Stadium's record is such that it will take a long time for another stadium to overtake it."
The Guinness World Records Limited does intensive study on all sports. "There are so many sports-related achievements. Sachin Tendulkar of India is a regular record-breaker and holds about ten records. It is nice to record individual achievements. The historic achievement by a sports stadium makes it special," said Sharma.
