JEDDAH: Shoaib Ali will lead Saudi Arabia in the ACC Challenge Cup 2010 which will be held in Bangkok from Dec. 4 to 12. Eight Asian countries are taking part in the championship which is being held under the auspices of Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Dr. Abdullah Al-Sheri, Advisor to Editor-in-Chief, Saudi Gazette, who met the players of the team at the SCC Cricket Academy and distributed the cricket kits, wished the players good luck in the championship. Nadeem Nadwi, CEO of Saudi Cricket Center (SCC), who introduced the players to Dr. Shehri, said that the team has very good chance to win the title this year. The teams are divided into two groups. Saudi Arabia, which figures in Group B with Maldives, Brunei and China, has a real chance of qualifying for the semifinals. Saudi Arabia meets China in its opening match on Dec. 4. Group A has Qatar, host Thailand, Iran and Myanmar. The 50-over tournament will be played on a round-robin basis where top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals. Group A: Qatar, Thailand, Iran, Myanmar. Group B: Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Brunei, China. Saudi squad: Shoaib Ali (captain), M. Afzal (vice captain), Khuram Karamat, Shafiq Ahmad, Hussain Bhatti, Faiq Habib, Samar Hussain, Amir Sajjad, M. Omer Baig, Nizar M. Taibh, Fahim Afrad, Mohammad Abdullah, Hammad Saeed, Hassan Bukhari. Manager: Khurshid Zafar; Coach: Mohammad Asim.
