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DUBAI: �������� defeated North Macedonia 2-1 on Thursday in a friendly match at FK Viktoria Stadion in Prague, as part of a training camp for the Green Falcons ahead of next month’s fourth round of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Herve Renard’s men fell behind to 41st-minute Aleksandar Trajkovski strike, but went into the break on level terms after Feras Al-Buraikan equalized in the first minute of stoppage time. They completed the comeback win thanks to a 78th-minute winner from Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

The Saudis dominated for long spells, ending up with 65.7 percent of the possession, according to the BBC, and 11 shots on goal, seven of them on target, compared with North Macedonia’s five shots, two of which were on target.

On Monday, �������� will take on the Czech Republic in their second friendly of the international break, before the double header of World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia on Oct. 8 and Iraq on Oct. 14. Both matches will be played at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

RIYADH: The World Cricket Festival was launched in Riyadh on Friday night by Cricket Investment Co. in partnership with the ��������n Cricket Federation.

The event aims to create a new ecosystem for cricket in �������� in cooperation with the SACF.

The launch event welcomed high-profile leaders and investors and unveiled the vision behind “cricketainment.” It also set the stage for various cricket tournaments to be played in the Kingdom, including the F2 Double Wicket World Cup 2025 in Jeddah.

Speaking to Arab News at the launch, SACF Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al Saud thanked the CIC for its support of the sport.

“It’s our first strategic partnership between CIC, which is the investment arm of the federation, and the private sector. It’s part of our initiative to enable the private sector within �������� for the development of the game,” he said.

“This is the first investment between the two sides. It has multiple programs in multiple cities across the Kingdom and we look forward to getting started together.”

On the WCF claim that the festival was “where cricket meets culture,” he said: “We still haven’t finalized all the details but it’s going to be a unique experience. It will definitely help in the development of cricket, for sure.”

At the launch event, Infinix, an investment company that builds cricket grounds and academies in the UAE in partnership with Karwan Spots Club from Pakistan, said it would create the first ICC-standard cricket grounds in �������� within six months.

In partnership with the SACF, the company will build two stadiums, the first in Riyadh and later in Jeddah. These will be followed by several more in other cities, Prince Saud said.

The other tournaments under the banner of WCF include F20 Season-2, a T20 cricket league, Saudi Corporate Premier League and the Gulf Premier League, and soft ball cricket leagues.

Pakistani spinners Saqlain Mushatq and Yasir Shah and Indian test cricketer Waseem Jaffer attended the launch event and praised the SACF for its efforts in helping to develop cricket in ��������.

They said they hoped young cricketers would make their names in the Kingdom.

Saudi cricket team captain Hisham Sheikh said: “Born and brought up in ��������, it’s a wonderful achievement to lead the Saudi team, and as a captain I am glad to be here at WCF launch. It’s a great feeling.”