Saudi Arabia
Wikipedia - Saudi Arabia national cricket team
The Saudi Arabia national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Saudi Arabia in international cricket. The team is organized by the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2003 and an associate member in 2016. Saudi Arabia made its international debut at the 2004 ACC Trophy in Malaysia, and has since played regularly in Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments. After finishing second in the 2014 ACC Elite League, the team qualified for the World Cricket League for the first time. Saudi Arabia was due to compete in the 2015 Division Six event, but members of the team were denied visas by the host country, forcing the team to withdraw.
History
The international debut of the Saudi senior team came in the ACC Trophy in 2004, where they failed to progress beyond the first round. They again failed to go past the first round in 2006, but had the remarkable achievement of scoring 499 runs in 50 overs against Brunei. Earlier in the year they came fourth in the Middle East Cup.[]
Arguably their greatest moment in international cricket to date came in the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite when they defeated the UAE by 29 runs, a team which has had previous One Day International experience.
With the separation of the ACC Trophy into Elite and Challenge divisions, following their performance at the 2006 ACC Trophy Saudi Arabia they competed in the Elite division in the 2008 competition, in which they came 10th. This result relegated them to the 2009 ACC Trophy Challenge, in which they did not appear. They did, however, appear in the 2010 competition, in which they came 2nd and gained promotion back to the Elite division.[]
Besides the 50 over format, Saudi Arabia have also played in the Twenty20 format of the game in the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup, in which they failed to progress beyond the group stage, and the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, in which they came 8th.[]
2018-present
In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Saudi Arabia and other ICC members after 1 January 2019 will be a full T20I.
Saudi Arabia made its Twenty20 International debut on 20 January 2019, losing to Bahrain by 41 runs in the 2019 ACC Western Region T20 at Al Emarat Cricket Stadium, Muscat, Oman.
20 January 2019
09:30 Scorecard |
Bahrain
176/4 (20 overs) |
v
|
Saudi Arabia
135/9 (20 overs) |
Imran Ali 58 (53)
Usman Ali 1/24 (4 overs) |
Muhammad Naeem 42 (36)
Babar Ali 2/18 (3 overs) |
- Saudi Arabia won the toss and elected to field.
- First ever T20I match for Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia won the 2023 ACC Men's Challenger Cup in Thailand, finishing undefeated to qualify for the 2023 ACC Men's Premier Cup in Nepal. The team defeated Bahrain in the tournament final by 10 wickets, after bowling Bahrain out for just 26 runs.
Despite being a relatively young team, Saudi Arabia has shown promise and potential in the sport. The team has been working hard to develop its cricket infrastructure and talent pool, with the aim of becoming a competitive force in international cricket.
Saudi Arabia has participated in various ICC tournaments, including the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers and the ICC World Cricket League. The team has also played in bilateral series against other Associate and Affiliate nations.
The Saudi Arabia cricket team is made up of a mix of talented local players and expatriates who have been instrumental in the team's growth and success. The team is known for its strong batting lineup and disciplined bowling attack.
As Saudi Arabia continues to invest in cricket development, the future looks bright for the national team. With a growing fan base and increasing support from the cricketing community, Saudi Arabia is poised to make a mark on the international cricket stage in the years to come.