RIYADH: The World Cricket Festival was launched in Riyadh on Friday night by Cricket Investment Co., the commercial arm of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) in partnership with Infinix.
The event aims to create a new ecosystem for cricket in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the SACF.
The launch event welcomed high-profile leaders and investors and unveiled the vision behind “cricketainment.” It also set the stage for various cricket tournaments to be played in the Kingdom, including the F2 Double Wicket World Cup 2025 in Jeddah.
Speaking to Arab News at the launch, SACF Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al Saud thanked the CIC for its support of the sport.
“It’s our first strategic partnership between CIC, which is the investment arm of the federation, and the private sector. It’s part of our initiative to enable the private sector within Saudi Arabia for the development of the game,” he said.
“This is the first investment between the two sides. It has multiple programs in multiple cities across the Kingdom and we look forward to getting started together.”
On the WCF claim that the festival was “where cricket meets culture,” he said: “We still haven’t finalized all the details but it’s going to be a unique experience. It will definitely help in the development of cricket, for sure.”
At the launch event, Infinix, an investment company that builds cricket grounds and academies in the UAE in partnership with Karwan Spots Club from Pakistan, said it would create the first ICC-standard cricket grounds in Saudi Arabia within six months.
In partnership with the SACF, the company will build two stadiums, the first in Riyadh and later in Jeddah. These will be followed by several more in other cities, Prince Saud said.
The other tournaments under the banner of WCF include F20 Season-2, a T20 cricket league, Saudi Corporate Premier League and the Gulf Premier League, and soft ball cricket leagues.
Pakistani spinners Saqlain Mushatq and Yasir Shah and Indian test cricketer Waseem Jaffer attended the launch event and praised the SACF for its efforts in helping to develop cricket in Saudi Arabia.
They said they hoped young cricketers would make their names in the Kingdom.
Saudi cricket team captain Hisham Sheikh said: “Born and brought up in Saudi Arabia, it’s a wonderful achievement to lead the Saudi team, and as a captain I am glad to be here at WCF launch. It’s a great feeling.”
