Graham Gooch among leading cricketers visiting Dubai Sports City

Essex CCC Chief Executive David East was also a member of the delegation, which visited the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, the 25,000 seat facility which will be completed later this year, as well as reviewing construction of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Global Academy and new ICC headquarters building.

Gooch - former captain of both Essex and England - expressed his excitement at the prospect of the world's first city dedicated to sport, and in particular the range of venues and training centres being created specifically for cricket.

"Dubai Sports City is a truly amazing project, which will provide an incredible environment for people to live and to play sport. It will certainly help encourage the growth of the sport in the region, and there's a lot of potential for international sides to use it as a base for tours and training," said Gooch.

Essex is among the UK sides visiting the country to compete alongside the UAE National team in the Arabian Cricket Challenge, with Somerset, Lancashire, Sussex and Yorkshire. Delegations from all five cricketing counties are expected to visit Dubai Sports City while they are in the UAE.

The ICC Global Cricket Academy will combine the most advanced sporting facilities and technologies available, with a staff of leading coaches and visiting professionals. Part of its attraction for visiting teams is that it will replicate the pitch conditions of major cricket nations around the world to provide an ideal location for overseas training.

Marc Archer, General Manager for the Global Cricket Academy, commented: "We're in discussion with a number of teams from almost every cricketing nation about the potential to use the facilities at Dubai Sports City for training. It's very exciting to see the enormously positive response that we're getting from countries like Essex - and from world-respected cricketers like Graham Gooch."

Gooch, who is currently a specialist batting coach for Essex, was a key member of a team that won the county championship six times in the years 1979-1992, and also won every other major domestic trophy at least once in the same period.

"One of the most gratifying parts of being involved in Dubai Sports City has been the interest shown by people who could justifiably be called legends. From some of the greatest names in football and golf, through to cricketers who have made their mark on the sport's history, Dubai Sports City continues to welcome visits from the world's best," said U. Balasubramaniam, CEO, Dubai Sports City.