ICC region Asian Cricket Council Coach Adil Ahmed Location Saudi Arabia | WCL 2015 Division Six Association Saudi Cricket Centre | |
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ICC status Affiliate (2003)
Associate (2016) | ||
The Saudi Arabia national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Saudi Arabia in international cricket matches. The team is organised by the Saudi Cricket Centre, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2003 and 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 finished 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.
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International competition
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.
ACC Trophy
ACC Twenty20 Cup
Records
Statistics from Saudi Arabia in ACC events
Highest scores
Hammad Saeed – 181 vs Bhutan at The Padang, on 8 June 2014
Shahbaz Rasheed – 138* vs Maldives at Indian Association Ground, Saudi on 11 June 2014
Khalid Butt – 110 vs U.A.E at Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur on 25 July 2008
Shahbaz Rasheed – 108 vs Bhutan at The Padang, Singapore on 8 June 2014
Mohammad Afzal – 103 vs Thailand at AIT Ground, on 9 December 2010
Afzal Saleem – 100* vs Maldives at Indian Association Ground, Saudi on 11 June 2014
Samburudeen Mohammed – 87* vs Maldives national cricket team at Indian Association Ground, Saudi on 11 June 2016
Best bowling figures
Hussain Bhatti – 7/65 vs Brunei at PTI School, Chiang Mai on 5 December 2010
Shoaib Ali – 5/25 vs Maldives at Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok on 11 December 2010
Shafiq Ahmed – 5/45 vs U.A.E at Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur on 25 July 2008
Mohammad Ramzan – 4/38 vs Bhutan at ICC Academy Oval #2, Dubai on 10 October 2012
Ibrarul Haq – 4/42 vs Bahrain at Indian Association Ground, Saudi on 10 June 2014