Cricket in Saudi Arabia: a love story imported from Pakistan and India

This undated file photo shows Saudi Arabian cricketers lifting the ACC T20 Western Region Championship trophy.

• The kingdom is 23rd in Global ICC T20 ranking
• Seeks to develop school cricket to enhance the prospects of the game in the country

JEDDAH: Wherever in the world Indians and Pakistanis go, they take cricket with them, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. The kingdom witnessed its first ever cricket match in 1960, which was a friendly contest between Indian and Pakistani expatriates organized as part of Eid celebrations. It proved to be the beginning of a new era in Saudi Arabia, and since then, many teams have been formed and various tournaments held regularly in different parts of the kingdom, with cricket’s governing body in Saudi Arabia now an associate member of the International Cricket Council.
“It was in the early 1980’s when I was a student of secondary school at the Pakistan embassy school in Jeddah ... that I brought a cricket bat (to Saudi Arabia),” Sameer Nidal Khan, the former manager of the Saudi Cricket Center and Saudi cricket team, told Arab News.
“A Saudi friend asked me ... ‘what is this? Is it a boat stick?’” Khan said with a laugh.
He is also director of the HALA Cricket Academy and Jeddah Cricket Association (JCA).
By the early 70’s, he said, cricket had become the most popular sport among expatriates and expanded so much that an organization dedicated to the game became necessary. This culminated in the formation of the Jeddah Cricket League (JCL) in 1976.
The flag-bearer was Shahid Amin, who collected the teams under one umbrella and the move gained strong support from famous Saudi personalities, said Hamid Afandi, a pioneer of structured cricket in Saudi Arabia.
The first executive committee was announced during the same decade to organize the inaugural tournament, and Zainul Ali Reza extended his all-out patronage for the development of cricket, becoming the patron-in-chief of the JCL, which successfully organized its first-ever historical event, called the ‘Ali Reza Inaugural League’ in 1976.
The tournament was a runaway success by all accounts and many of the big cities followed in the footsteps of the JCL, creating their own leagues in subsequent years. Among the most renowned, are the Jeddah Cricket Association, Western Province Cricket Association, Riyadh Cricket League, Riyadh Cricket Association, Eastern Province Cricket Association, Yanbu Al-Sinaiyah Cricket Association, Madinah Cricket Association and Madinah Cricket Leagues. In recent years, total teams exceed 300 and Riyadh has the most numbers.
Cities throughout Saudi Arabia now view hallmark cricket events as a powerful tool for community interaction, stimulating cricket development and international recognition. These events are so popular, that sponsors get considerable advantages out of their investments.
The Saudi Cricket Center, formed in 2001 under the patronage of Princess Ghada bint Hamood bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, is the official governing body controlling cricket activities domestically and is now an associate member of International Cricket Council. It was created with the objective of developing and promoting the game of cricket in Saudi Arabia.
“Not many people are aware that Saudi Arabia is an associate member of International Cricket Council (ICC) and full member of non-test playing Asian Cricket Council (ACC),” Nadeem Nadwi, CEO of Saudi Cricket Center, told Arab News.
He said that the Kingdom was “23rd in Global ICC T20 raking and 7th in ACC T20 ranking,” adding that it was a significant achievement since cricket enthusiasts in the country work with relatively little resources. “Recently, Saudi Arabia also won ACC T20 Western Region Championship,” he informed.
“The Saudi Cricket Center arranges regional tournaments, national champions trophy, school cricket, and cricket educational courses as part of its annual development program,” Nadwi continued.
The center is also working on a strategic development program that aims to attract young people by organizing special events.
“Currently, there are over 100 Saudi boys participating in cricket coaching camps in Yanbu and Gizan,” he said.
“The center is also working with the Saudi Federation of Mass Participation and General Sports Authority to work out a comprehensive plan to popularize and develop cricket on a larger level,” Nadwi added.
Talking to Arab News, Osama Saad, the first Saudi national ACC Level 2 qualified umpire said: “I feel proud to represent Saudi Arabia on international level, I am thankful to the Saudi Cricket Center for providing this opportunity to me. It is a beautiful game and we must work hard to take it to young Saudis. I see a great future here.”
Discussing the future prospects of the game, Syed Mussarat Khalil, a founding member of the center and Western Province Cricket Association, stressed the importance of school cricket.
“Schools should try to produce at least three players who can participate in the selection process for the national team,” he said while praising the efforts of the Saudi Cricket Center for the development and promotion of the game in the Kingdom.