Sharjah cricket, which hosted numerous ODI tournaments from 1985 to 2003, became widely associated with match fixing, with allegations of underworld figures including Dawood Ibrahim influencing results.
Sharjah became a major venue for international cricket in the 1980s and 1990s, hosting over 200 ODIs between 1984 and 2003. The tournaments were organized by Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, and they brought lucrative cricket to the Middle East. However, the venue became increasingly associated with match fixing and corruption.
Multiple investigations revealed that Sharjah tournaments were a hotbed for bookmakers and fixers. The proximity to the Indian subcontinent, lax regulation, and easy access to players made it an ideal location for corrupt approaches. Several match-fixing investigations, including the CBI report in India and the King Commission in South Africa, identified Sharjah as a key venue where fixing arrangements were made.
Perhaps the most notorious allegation was the connection to Indian underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, who was alleged to have significant interests in cricket betting and fixing. The Indian CBI report noted that bookmakers operated freely at Sharjah tournaments, with easy access to players in hotels. Multiple players from different countries later admitted to being approached by bookmakers at Sharjah.
The ICC eventually stopped scheduling matches at Sharjah, and the venue hosted its last international match in 2003 (though it was later revived for Pakistan home games in 2014). The Sharjah era remains a dark chapter in cricket history, symbolizing a period when the sport's governance was too weak to combat the influence of organized crime and betting syndicates.
Sharjah became synonymous with fixing. The ICC stopped scheduling matches there. The venue was later revived under stricter anti-corruption protocols.
Cricket Canada
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Multiple franchises
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Various county sides
1865-08-01
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