Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister and Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, met His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sport of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during his visit to Riyadh to discuss avenues for sports collaboration, especially cricket.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Naqvi said, “In Riyadh it was a pleasure to meet His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sport of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Naqvi stated that the two had a “detailed discussion on promoting cricket in Saudi Arabia and creating new avenues for youth engagement and talent development.”
The discussion is seen as part of growing efforts to expand cricket’s footprint in the Gulf region, where interest in the sport has been steadily rising, particularly among expatriate communities.
He also praised the Saudi leadership’s broader sports and development agenda, saying, “I deeply appreciate the way he is driving the Crown Prince’s Vision 2030 and has secured major global events for the Kingdom from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and Asian Winter Games 2029 to the Asian Games 2034 and FIFA World Cup 2034.”
Naqvi added that he is “looking forward to building this partnership for our young people and for the region,” signalling Pakistan’s willingness to work closely with Saudi Arabia on sports diplomacy, youth projects, and cricket development program’s.
The meeting reflects the growing sports cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, with cricket emerging as a potential new area of structured collaboration under the wider framework of Saudi Vision 2030 and regional engagement.
