Cambodia had to forfeit their matches at the ACC Men’s Challenger Cup in Singapore because they could not field a full team. Reports indicate that three players were denied visas upon arrival, and a fourth player was injured, leaving the team short of players. Consequently, Cambodia withdrew from the tournament, allowing Indonesia and Uzbekistan to advance directly to the quarter-finals.
No official reason has been given for the visa issues faced by the three players. The Cricket Association of Cambodia (CAC) has not made a public statement about this situation. Cambodia became an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council in 2022 and played its first official T20 International matches during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, which they hosted in Phnom Penh.
The Cambodian team gained attention during the Southeast Asian Games after 13 players of Indian or Pakistani origin obtained Cambodian passports shortly before the event. The team was led by captain Lugman Butt, who had mostly played his domestic cricket in Pakistan. Cambodia won gold medals in the T20I, T10, and 50-over competitions. However, the timing of these players’ naturalization raised concerns from Malaysia.
“We noted that the passports were issued on April 23 this year, and the first match was played six days later, whereas the deadline for the shortlist was March 3. This raises the question of whether changes can be made for as many as 13 players. If so, what is the purpose of a shortlist submitted in advance?” said the Malaysian Cricket Association, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
This year’s Men’s Challenger Cup’s round-robin stage only eliminated one team. With ten teams participating and eight spots available in the quarter-finals, the tournament format limited genuine competition in the group stage.
Cambodia’s withdrawal and match forfeiture created a similar scenario in their group, allowing the remaining teams to advance automatically. In this three-team group, hosts Singapore and Maldives secured the two available spots for the quarter-finals, finishing just ahead of Myanmar.