The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has rejected Saudi Arabia’s request to provide their players and also coaches under their ‘Vision 2030’ strategy; these players would eventually play for Saudi Arabia after completing all legal formalities, as per Cricbuzz.
Saudi Arabia, which made its way to the world of Football quickly, has drawn international legends towards its leagues and has also left a footprint in international football, defeating Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation has now started with the groundwork to develop cricket on a large scale, taking inspiration from their rapid rise in football.
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Saudi Arabia is looking to expand in international cricket with ‘Vision 2030.’
Driven by their strategic plan of ‘Vision 2030,’ the Saudi Arabian cricket team is looking forward to a massive international expansion and is ready to invest any amount of money. As a part of their plan, the Saudi Arabian federation approached BCB for players and coaches.
This was reported by Cricbuzz, as they revealed that Saudi Arabia is looking forward to following the model used by the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates, to bring in foreign cricketers from different Test-playing nations to ultimately feature for them in the long run.
According to the strategy, the proposal suggested that foreign players travel to Saudi Arabia to play domestic games and then complete legal citizenship processes to represent the Saudi Arabia national cricket team. Bangladesh was one of the many countries they approached.
BCB rejects proposal from Saudi Arabia
The BCB president, Aminul Islam, has turned down the proposal from the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation to send players and coaches over who could eventually complete legalities and be part of Saudi Arabia’s national side.
The BCB President revealed that the offer was made to the BCB around 2 months ago, and it not only included a request for male but also female cricketers and coaches as well.
“You can say that they (Saudi Arabia) approached me two months ago, and I said no,” BCB president Aminul Islam confirmed to Cricbuzz on Saturday.
“They asked us for players – both male and female players, and then they asked for coaches, but how can I provide them at the expense of my own country’s interests?,” he added.
Saudi Arabia is expanding its presence in global sports
Saudi Arabia is known to be one of the financially sound nations in the world and has often drawn attention for their insane investments made to expand their presence in sports.
They have made significant investments in LIV Golf, Formula 1, and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. With the growing stature of cricket worldwide, they have shown interest in investing in the gentleman’s sport.
The Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation has also received some major backing from the ICC as well as the Asian Cricket Council, since the councils too want to establish the game of cricket in the Gulf.
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