RIYADH: A “team first” approach is the basis on which the Saudi national team have gone on to become the champions of the inaugural ACC Men’s Challenger Cup in Bangkok, and captain Hisham Sheikh is keen to carry on the good work to claim even more laurels in the coming years.

After beating Bahrain by 10 wickets to win the title, and maintaining a perfect record of five wins from five matches in the tournament along the way, Sheikh has revealed in an exclusive interview with Arab News the factors that built a championship-winning team.

“First, I would like to thank the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation, the players, the Saudi Olympic Committee, and the Saudi Ministry of Sports for their constant support and encouragement,” said the captain.

“The plan for the tournament was quite clear and it was a combined effort from around two to three months,” Sheikh said. “The players had to report about their fitness sessions, their gym plans, and their dietary plans. Everything was reported to the team management, to strength and conditioning coach Mohammed Ali Khan and head coach Mohammed Kabir Khan. The players were involved in these activities, and they are doing it through their motivation and belief to provide the team with a better performance.”

There has been a positive mindset coursing through the team since the beginning, he said, adding: “There is something called playing cricket with a brave attitude.”

In addition, different match scenarios were practiced during the camp.

“There was a week-long camp held in Riyadh before the tournament and the players came from all around Saudi Arabia,” said Sheikh. “They played with each other, bonded well, and then there were different match scenarios that were practiced, which gave confidence to the players.

“During the ACC Challenger Cup, there was a very positive environment within the team and a lot of support was given from our management, Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal and CEO Tariq Sagga, who visited us during the tournament.”

Their presence gave the players “a sense of belief and motivation” to go on and win the tournament, said the captain.“The plan was pretty simple for the game: Play the game as if it’s your last match and with full confidence and the attitude that there’s nothing to lose. The boys really gave their heart and soul to each game and that’s been our motto for this tournament. And that will be the motto for all the tournaments we are going to play up ahead,” said Sheikh.

“The team played as a unit, bowlers performed really well, restricting the opponent team to a low total, and when we opted to bat first, such as against Myanmar, we put up a massive total of 424 on board,” he said.

“The boys did a really good job,” Sheikh concluded. “The surface was not easy to bat on. It was a slow wicket in Thailand, something different compared to Saudi Arabia. And I really appreciated our players that played there.”