Cricket in Saudi Arabia

Cricket in Saudi Arabia is a sport growing in popularity. Saudi Arabia's playing season runs from October to April. There are 149 cricket clubs and a single turf wicket in Saudi Arabia.

Cricket was first referenced in Saudi Arabia in 1960 and was contested by Parish teams. By the 1970s the game became structured and more organised, with associations formed. The game was mostly played by expatriates in its early days and this remains the case today, with the majority of players coming from the Indian subcontinent, England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

In 2001, legal status to organize the game of cricket was attained under the royal patronage of Princess Ghada bint Homoud bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. In 2003, Saudi Arabia became the affiliate member of the International Cricket Council. The team has never taken part in an exclusive International Cricket Council tournament, but has played in Asian Cricket Council competitions, most notably the ACC Trophies and the ACC Twenty20 Cups. It was in the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite that they defeated the UAE, a country with One Day International experience.

Saudi Cricket Centre is the official governing body of cricket in Saudi Arabia. Its current headquarters is in Jeddah. Saudi Cricket Centre is Saudi Arabia's representative at the International Cricket Council.

Saudi Arabia's domestic setup involves 11 regional cricket association who play one-day and Twenty20 cricket from October to April. The 2010 competition was won by Western Province Cricket Association.

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