From desolate desert to a festival of cricket

Just over three months ago, a desolate desert was all one could find in the space that the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium in Muscat currently occupies.

Following an upsurge in the rise of Covid-19 cases in India last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) -- who were supposed to play hosts -- desperately searched for an alternate venue for the tournament.

And while they managed to confirm that the UAE would host the Super 12 stage of the event, confusion reigned over hosting the first round of the mega-event.

All of a sudden Pankaj Khimji, a celebrated figure belonging to Oman's illustrious Khimji Ramdas family, came forward and took up the challenge of hosting the qualifying round in Oman despite the lack of any existing infrastructure capable of hosting an international event.

Interestingly, Sheikh Kanaksi Khimji, the family's late patriarch and head of the Khimji Ramdas Group of Companies, was the only Hindu Sheikh in the world, being granted the title by the Sultan of Oman for contributions to the country's economy over the years.

144 years ago, when the Middle East was still oblivious to the riches beneath their feet, Pankaj's grandfather, Ramdas Thackersey, came to the busy trading ports of Muscat to make a living. That business would boom so much that at one point the Khimji family was even lending money to the Sultan of Oman.

However, despite being a person with such a high-profile, Pankaj is often seen roaming around the Al Amerat Stadium like any other person, providing the opportunity for a conversation about his vision and the story of how he managed to ready an entire stadium from scratch in such a short time.

"Not more than three months ago, when the BCCI were looking for an alternate venue to host the T20 World Cup in the gulf region, we were the first one to put our hands up. We knew it was going to be a huge challenge because there was nothing where we are standing right now. We set a target of preparing the entire stadium in ninety days and here we are hosting the event successfully," Pankaj told The Daily Star ahead of the Bangladesh-Oman game yesterday.

"From the pitch to the outfield to the stands, everything was built inside those 90 days. I must thank all the people involved in making this happen."

A keen follower of cricket, Khimji is a huge fan of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman and he also expressed a willingness to host the Tigers in a bilateral series.

"Your cricket board president Nazmul Hassan is a very good friend of mine. It was pleasure meeting him here. I am very excited to see the Bangladesh team and hopefully they will have a great game against Oman. Although I will be supporting Oman, I also have few favourite players on your team.

"I like Mustafizur the pacer. He has got great skills as a bowler. And also Shakib Al Hasan the all-rounder. I really hope one day Bangladesh will come here to play a bilateral series with Oman. I even had a small conversation with Hassan regarding this," he said.