ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday it has approved an expression of interest (EOI) for cooperation with the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation (SACF) to develop a stadium in Jeddah, as the two sides step up their partnership to promote the sport in the Kingdom.
Pakistan, a cricket powerhouse, has offered support to Saudi Arabia in constructing cricket stadiums and developing the sport in the Kingdom.
During a visit to the Kingdom in December 2024, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met his counterpart from the SACF, Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud, to discuss cricketing ties between the two nations. Naqvi offered “all possible cooperation” to the SACF in constructing stadiums across the Middle Eastern nation, the PCB had said in a statement.
The approval for the EOI was given during a meeting of the PCB’s Board of Governors in Lahore during which important matters related to cricket were discussed, the board said in a statement.
“The Board approved an Expression of Interest (EOI) for cooperation with the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation for the development of a cricket stadium in Jeddah,” the PCB said.
Saudi Arabia has seen a rise in cricket’s popularity in the Kingdom with the establishment of the SACF in 2020. The board has since then lined up a series of programs to promote the sport at home and prepare national teams to compete with the world’s best in the future.
Saudi Arabia is home to millions of Indian and Pakistani expatriates, who introduced the sport to the Kingdom as early as the 1960s.
Local clubs began to take shape in the country soon after. Owing to the rising popularity of the sport in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2003 and was promoted to associate membership in 2016.
The Kingdom made headlines when it hosted the auction of the Indian Premier League in Jeddah in November 2024. The IPL is the most lucrative T20 cricket league worldwide.
In 2024, the SACF said its future priorities include developing the Kingdom’s cricket infrastructure by increasing the number of local programs in the country and creating a professional league.
