Islamabad: The Pakistan Cricket Board Thursday inked an agreement with Saudi Arabia to build a modern cricket stadium in Jeddah.
The agreement was signed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) chief Saud bin Mishal bin Mohammad Al Saud.
“For the first time in history, a strategic agreement has been signed between the PCB and the SACF for the construction of a modern cricket stadium in Jeddah,” the PCB said in a statement on ‘X’.
“The PCB will build a cricket stadium as per international standards and with state-of-the-art facilities. All the facilities will be according to the standards of the International Cricket Council (ICC).”
The statement further said that the two boards would jointly work on infrastructure development, technical expertise, stadium planning and operational standards.
It said the project would play a key role in enabling Saudi Arabia to host international cricket matches and big events, adding the project would also support the Gulf country’s 2030 vision.
“The project is a milestone for the promotion of cricket in Saudi Arabia,” Naqvi, who is currently in Saudi Arabi, was quoted as saying.
“The partnership will bring the cricket community together and become a lasting legacy,” he said.
Meanwhile, state-run PTV reported that Naqvi also met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud and the two reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen security cooperation between the two countries.
A memorandum of understanding on security cooperation was signed between the two countries, reflecting a strong strategic cooperation.
Naqvi also visited the Unified Security Operations Center (911) in Riyadh, where he assessed the “communication system for security institutions and modern technology”.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have strong ties and last year signed a defence pact to defend each other in case of attack by a third country.