Cricket in Saudi Arabia

Cricket in Saudi Arabia is a sport growing in popularity. Saudi Arabia's playing season runs from October to April. There are 149 cricket clubs and a single turf wicket in Saudi Arabia.^[1]

History

Cricket was first referenced in Saudi Arabia in 1960 and was contested by Parish teams. By the 1970s the game became structured and more organised, with associations formed. The game was mostly played by expatriates in its early days and this remains the case today, with the majority of players coming from the Indian subcontinent, England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

In 2001, legal status to organize the game of cricket was attained under the royal patronage of Princess Haya bint Abdulaziz Al-Saud. In 2003, Saudi Arabia were admitted to the International Cricket Council as an Affiliate member. The team has never taken part in an exclusive International Cricket Council tournament, but has played in Asian Cricket Council competitions, most notably the ACC Trophy and the ACC Twenty20 Cup. It was in the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite that they defeated the UAE, a country with One Day International experience.

Governing body

Main article: Saudi Cricket Centre

Saudi Cricket Centre is the official governing body of cricket in Saudi Arabia. Its current headquarters is in Jeddah. Saudi Cricket Centre is Saudi Arabia's representative at the International Cricket Council.

Domestic competitions

Saudi Arabia's most senior domestic setup involves 6 regional cricket association teams who play one-day and Twenty20 cricket from October to April.^[2] The 2010 competition was won by Western Province Cricket Association.

Domestic teams

List below are the current 6 most senior teams that make up the Associations of Saudi Arabian cricket:

• Western Province Cricket Association
• Riyadh Cricket Association
• Eastern Province Cricket Association
• Yanbu Al Sinayiah Cricket Association
• Southern Province Cricket Association
• Madina Cricket League

Grounds

There are currently 38 cricket grounds in Saudi Arabia. One of these has a turf wicket, while the remaining have artificial wickets.^[1]

National team

Main article: Saudi Arabia national cricket team

The Saudi Arabia national cricket team represents the country in international cricket matches. The national team, formed in 2003,^[1] They play in the Challenge division of the ACC Trophy, having previously played in the Elite division prior to relegation in 2008, before that the ACC Trophy before it was split into two divisions. The team has also played in the ACC Twenty20 Cup and the Middle East Cup.

See also

• Sport in Saudi Arabia

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Asian Cricket: Saudi Arabia
2. ^ Saudi Arabian Shine in T20

External links

• SaudiCricket site
• Cricinfo-Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabian pages on asiancricket.org