Chief curator of the Abu Dhabi cricket stadium Mohan Singh was found dead hours before the start of the T20 World Cup 2021 match between the New Zealand and Afghanistan match.
The cause of the death is not known. The demise was confirmed by the UAE Cricket. The International Cricket Council has also issued a formal statement on the demise of the Indian-origin cricket professional.
Mohan had moved to Abu Dhabi in 2004, prior to that he had trained to be a curator at the Punjab Cricket Stadium in Mohali. He had served the PCA for decade between 1994 and 2004. He had also been a ground supervisor as well assisting the coaches in sports like tennis and swimming.
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Mohan eventually settled down with cricket, getting his initial lessons on pitch creation from Daljit Singh, former chief curator of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
He also had offers from the Uganda cricket board and back home in India, but Mohan decided to serve the UAE He had been serving the Emirates board since 2004.
One of his first major jobs was preparing the pitch for the stadium’s inaugural one-day game played between India and Pakistan in April 2006. He has completed three different curator courses conducted by the Asian Cricket Council in Kuwait, Qatar and Malaysia in the past to help him gain valuable experience.
ICC adds: A key part of the emirate’s sporting fraternity, Singh passed away on Sunday having served Abu Dhabi Cricket diligently for more than 15 years.
Today’s T20 World Cup match between New Zealand and Afghanistan went ahead at the ground “at the request of Abu Dhabi Cricket, the ground staff and Mohan’s family,” an ICC media released stated.”It is with great sadness that Abu Dhabi Cricket announces that Head Curator, Mohan Singh, has passed away today,” a media release from Abu Dhabi Cricket read.
“Mohan has been with Abu Dhabi Cricket for 15 years and has played a pivotal role in all of the venue’s success during that time. Sunday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 game between New Zealand and Afghanistan goes ahead as scheduled, with the support of Mohan’s family and our ground staff.
“Tributes to Mohan and his incredible achievements will be honoured in the coming days.
“We ask for media to respect the privacy of Mohan’s family at this tragic time.”
The ICC has sent its condolences to the family.
“We are deeply saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, Abu Dhabi Cricket and everyone connected with the event,” an ICC spokesperson said.
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