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Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board is in talks with the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation to build a stadium in Jeddah, a proposal that has already received approval from the PCB’s Governing Board.

Sources within the PCB revealed that chairman Mohsin Naqvi is leading discussions with Saudi cricket officials, and an expression of interest for the stadium’s construction has already been submitted.

“The PCB wants to promote cricket in the Saudi Kingdom and also hold some Pakistan Super League matches there, but a final document is yet to be signed for starting work on the new stadium,” the source said.

He added that discussions are underway to identify a suitable site for the stadium, which will feature floodlights and a seating capacity sufficient for top-level matches, including the potential to host PSL games.

The source added that Saudi cricket officials had approached the PCB for the project, noting that the oil-rich kingdom has recently shown a growing interest in promoting cricket and has even explored the possibility of launching its own T20 league.

“Talks are in the initial stages but PCB has made it clear it is on board with the Saudi body because of the brotherly ties between the two countries,” the source added.

“The PCB has shown interest because of the presence of a large Pakistani and other South Asian expatriate community in the kingdom,” the source added.

So far, the United Arab Emirates has been the primary international cricket hub in the Middle East, regularly hosting Tests, international fixtures, Asia Cup tournaments, the Indian Premier League, and even ICC Cricket World Cup matches, in addition to staging its own International League T20.

The UAE has three established Test venues — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah — and between 2010 and 2019, it regularly hosted Pakistan’s home Tests and other international fixtures. The PSL was also launched in 2016 in Dubai, at a time when overseas players were reluctant to visit Pakistan due to security concerns.