Government of Dubai Media Office – 18, November 2021: The International Cricket Council chief Greg Barclay has thanked Dubai Police for their “dedication and contribution” to the successful delivery of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2021, which concluded on Sunday night at Dubai International Stadium with Australia defeating their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by eight wickets for the coveted title.

The 16-team ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, which started on October 17 with preliminary round matches in Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Sharjah, saw Dubai host 13 of the 33 matches from the Super 12 stage onwards, including Sunday’s final as well as two of the most in-demand Super 12 matches – India vs Pakistan on October 24 and Afghanistan vs Pakistan on October 29. The matches in Dubai regularly attracted around 20,000 spectators.

His Excellency Major General Abdullah Ali Al Ghaithi, Director of the General Department of Protective Security & Emergency and Chairman of Dubai’s Events Security Committee thanked the ICC for placing its trust in Dubai Police for ensuring the highest level of security during the entire duration of the global tournament. He said the global cricketing fraternity’s trust in Dubai’s security capabilities reflects Dubai Police’s world-class systems and protocols and the city’s track record of delivering high benchmarks of safety during global events and international sporting tournaments. 

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup started days after Dubai hosted the final of the hugely-popular Indian Premier League cricket tournament on October 15, when the Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs to bag the title. Dubai had hosted 12 of the 31 IPL 2021 matches, which were played across three centres in the UAE – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

Dubai Police were also in charge of the security for the Indian Premier League.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dubai Police for their dedication and contribution to the successful delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, especially as it came immediately after the Indian Premier League,” Greg Barclay, Chair of International Cricket Council, wrote in a letter to Dubai Police.

He added: “During the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament, we had tens of thousands of spectators at the stadium, 350 million people watched the matches on television and we had over 5 billion views online. “You [Dubai Police] have certainly helped us achieve our objective of delivering a safe, memorable and outstanding event.”