Tom Allin - Blog from Abu Dhabi.

24 February 2010

We landed in Abu Dhabi early on Friday morning, with the majority of the party deprived of sleep due to the time difference. A brief bus journey was to follow before arriving at the Holiday Inn….not the English quality of Holiday Inns it has to be said!

The first training session was held in mid-afternoon and for most it was the first time they had felt leather on willow since the previous season. With the heat passing 30 degrees and playing conditions obviously a lot different to back home it was definitely a worthwhile experience to acclimatise. The evening had outstanding food from the hotel and a few casual drinks in the centre of Abu Dhabi.

Cambridge Player Eddie Ballard in the runs and wickets The first game was played the following day – a Twenty20 against a local team – which proved to be a good run out which we won with ease. The ground was something to savour and indeed one that we all won’t forget for a long time. Pictures will only tell half a story on what was without doubt the most scenic place I have had a chance to play. Eddie Ballard somehow came out of the game burgling three wickets, when he is not even a recognised bowler! Baffling!

The following day the opposition were much stronger, the venue chosen was Zayed Stadium, which will host the MCC v Durham later next month. In a day/night game MCC were 9 for 4 after five overs, however with a resilient partnership of over 100 between Gidman and Ballard, a score of 220 was made. Abu Dhabi CC made a great start, not shy of playing shots, they raced to 50 inside seven overs...however Balcombe hit his stride and struck three times, followed by the spinners taking control in the middle overs, MCC won by 50 runs.

MCC tourists relax at the Zayed Stadium. Tom Allin is 3rd from right Yet again the hospitality was first class and once the lights were on it was a great spectacle. A rest day was next in line, spent at the illustrious Emperor’s Palace. It’s safe to say I don’t think there were many that have visited a place of such magnitude and it was probably the greatest place I ever been to. Tomorrow we are back to the Zayed Stadium for another day/night game against the UAE, which will consist of many players that played in the World Cup qualifiers where they just missed out.