Blame it on the 2000 Dubai Shopping Festival!

Sanath Jayasuriya and his men may have been doing their country proud on the field, but wranglings within the Sri Lankan Cricket Board have rocked the tiny but picturesque island.

With politicians throwing their weight around, the board elections (Kumaratunga’s uncle Clifford Ratwatte contested and lost to Thilanga Sumanthipala for the top post), there are political fingers pointing everywhere.

Poor Sumanthipala himself has been suspended by a court order over allegations of "vote rigging and thuggery". It incensed Dissanayake so much that he remarked: "The government would have to close down courts and send the judges home".

More bad news comes in the form of the board having suffered losses to the tune of Rs 20 million from hosting the recent World Youth Cup. There is talk already of taking legal action against the organising committee. Enough of Colombo, it’s time to fly to Dubai next.

Well into the wee hours of the morning and Dubai is still brightly lit and decked up. There are streams and streams of cars and taxis waiting to pick up visitors from the majestic Dubai International Airport, which definitely has amongst the most efficient staff in the world. Of course, as it’s the festival season here, one is greeted by smiles everywhere. The cab driver, a Pakistani, tells you that though cricket is played at every nook and corner of the world, there is nothing quite as charming as the Sharjah leg.

"The festival has kept us very busy but once the cricket starts, the focus is going to shift," he says, asking with a tinge of disappointment, "Why is the India-Pakistan game not scheduled for Jumma (Friday)?"

He, however, wants the South Africans to spank both India and Pakistan in the tournament. "Arre, siyasat khatam karenge tabhi to khelenge (They can only play after they root out politics from the system).

Pakistani opener Saeed Anwar — who has a fantastic record here — is a popular man among the expatriates. Therefore, his pulling out of the event owing to a neck-injury, has left his supporters disappointed. Anwar is however coming to Sharjah as one of the five benefeciaries this year. Besides Anwar, his teammate and current Pakistan captain Moin Khan and three Indians, former left-arm spinners Maninder Singh and Bapu Nadkarni and the stylish and soft-spoken Indian chief of selectors, Chandu Borde, complete the list. In a novel gesture, the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series will also send in a contribution to the South African Board’s Development Programme.