Saudi Arabia Cricket Team Guide
The Saudi Arabia cricket team is organised by the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation and is an ICC associate member. Although it does not have one of the longest histories in the sport, the nation is just one of the international cricket teams from the Middle East that aims to assert itself on a global stage.
History of Saudi Arabia Cricket Team
The Saudi Arabia cricket team first became associate members of the ICC back in 2003, with them making their debut internationally at the Malaysian ACC Trophy in 2004. The country then played in various ACC Trophy events throughout the 2010s before finally becoming an associate member of the ICC in 2016.
Where Does The Saudi Arabia Cricket Team Play?
The Saudi Arabia Cricket Association Stadium, located in the country’s capital, Riyadh and the Dhahran Cricket Ground are two venues which have regularly hosted international matches for the Saudi Arabia cricket team.
Former Captains Of The Saudi Arabia Cricket Team
Between 2010 and 2017, Shoaib Ali was the go-to captain for the Saudi Arabia cricket team, leading his country on 16 separate occasions, seeing his team win an impressive 11 times during this stint.
Top Run Scorers In Saudi Arabia Cricket Team History
Right-hand batter Faisal Khan was the first player in the Saudi Arabia cricket team to surpass 500 runs. Abdul Waheed is another to reach this milestone for his nation since making his debut in 2020.
Top Wicket Takers In Saudi Arabia Cricket Team History
Right-arm medium-fast bowler Ishtiaq Ahmad made history in the Saudi Arabia cricket team, being the first player ever to take 5 wickets in a single T20I match. Hisham Sheikh and Abdul Wahid are other notable bowlers who were among the first to take 4 wickets in a single match.
Memorable Games For The Saudi Arabia Cricket Team
One of the biggest performances from the Saudi Arabia cricket team came against the UAE cricket team back in the 2008 ACC Trophy. In this, Saudi Arabia managed to defeat their opponents by 29 runs despite never having any ODI experience when compared to the UAE.
Since becoming full Twenty20 international members, the Saudi Arabia cricket team played the Bahrain cricket team in their first-ever T20I. Winning the toss before the game, Saudi Arabia chose to field; however, they struggled to take wickets, with Usman Ali taking just 1 from 4 overs. After 20 overs, Bahrain mustered up 176 from 4, with this impressive performance proving to be a tough chase. The Saudi Arabia cricket team had some inspirational batting performances, especially from Muhammad Naeem, who took 42 from 36 balls but still fell short by 41 runs by the end of the match. Despite this, Saudi Arabia proved their capabilities against a higher-ranked nation.
Rivals Of The Saudi Arabia Cricket Team
The Saudi Arabia cricket team often competes against neighbouring countries like the Kuwait cricket team, Bahrain cricket team and the Qatar cricket team, with all of these matches being highly competitive.
