Victory in the 2023 Asian Cricket Council’s Challenger Cup in Thailand has catapulted Saudi Arabia’s men’s team into unchartered waters.
It also emphasised the increasing levels of competition within Asian cricket. As recently reported, the Saudi team’s success was in a 50-over one-day international competition, rather than the Twenty20 format that has become prevalent.
The Challenger Cup is the first staging post in the ACC’s restructured three-tier pathway toward the Asia Cup 2023. It is comprised of eight teams and has been designed to provide increased opportunities for a larger number of its members to display their talents.
There are 25 members of the ACC, divided into full and associate members. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, all Test-playing countries, have full-member status.