PRESS RELEASE – MCA FAST TRACK INTER-STATE LEAGUE 2017

Penang will once again this year participate in the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) Fast Track State League.   This tournament which is a two (2) day innings format competition kicks off on 5 February 2017.  It will change to a 3 day innings format at the super league stage (upon qualification) whereby only 2 top teams from each group will take part. Among the participating teams are Selangor, Johor, Sarawak, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah and Penang. At the preliminary rounds stage, Penang will take on Kuala Lumpur on   4-5 February 2017, Negeri Sembilan on 11 – 12 February and Sabah on 18-19 February 2017.  

For this year, Penang  Cricket Association has managed for the first time to secure an official sponsor.  The official sponsor is Ming Engineering Plastic Sdn Bhd and this company has pledged to contribute RM15,000 towards Penang State team’s participation in this Fast Track League. This certainly goes a long way to enhance our participation & efforts to strengthen our State team, which comprises mainly junior local Penang born players.

Ming Engineering Plastic Sdn Bhd is a company involved in total waste management (dedicated to recovery & recycling of all types of waste materials) since 2005. The company is headquartered at Plot 167A, Lorong Perindustrian Bukit Minyak, Kawasan Perindustrian Bukit Minyak 13, Penang.  The company is an ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management Standard), ISO 9001:2008 (the Quality System) and OHSAS 18001:2007 certified.  The company’s network of operations includes a 50,000-sq. ft. purpose built processing plant and warehouse in Penang.  It also has facilities in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru and expanded overseas to Hong Kong and Thailand.

Penang will be skippered by the big hitting Pavithren Nadesan.  The team will be buoyed by current international players in the squad such as Kavintheran Kumar, Keithan Goonasagaran, Varun Nadesh and ex-international, Darvin Muralitharan. Penang have also secured the services of pacey, Ibrahim Hassan, whom is presently a Maldivian national player.

Penang Cricket Association

25 January 2017

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PCA Annual General Meeting

Dear Affiliates, Life Members and Members,

PCA Management Committee would like to invite you to the upcoming Penang Cricket Association Annual General Meeting.

The meeting details as follows;

DATE     :   Wednesday, 12th October 2016
TIME     :   7.00pm
VENUE  :   Multipurpose Hall, Penang Sports Club

Your presence is very much appreciated.

Thank You.

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Penang T20 Cricket League 2015 Summary Report

Penang T20 Cricket League 2015

Post Tournament Report 

(May to August 2015)

The PCA T20 Cricket League was organized by Penang Cricket Association. It commenced in May and culminated in August 2015. The month of Ramadan caused the delay in this league. The matches were played between five teams, namely Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang Sports Club (PSC), India Pakistan Lovers Cricket Club (IPLCC), Penang Sports Development Team (PSDT)and Australain Defence Force (ADF). These matches were played on the USM and PSC cricket grounds. The teams were managed by their respective captains Muhammad Talha (USM), Shahul Hameed (PSC), Nadeem (IPLCC), Martin (ADF) and Vinay (PSDT). All the teams played one match each other and the final of the league was played between the top two teams. Eleven matches were played and one was washed out due to rain in this league. All the matches in this tournament were played on the weekends due to the unavailability of players and grounds.

A full range of cricketing ability was on show at the tournament from all the cricketers to the keenest total novice, with players of every ability able to soak up the atmosphere and give it their best out in the middle. The inaugural match of this league was played between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and India Pakistan Lovers Cricket Club (IPLCC) at USM cricket ground. The match was won by the USM cricket team. During the whole tournament, a number of people came to the ground to witness the true spirit of the game. They enjoyed the whole tournament under the outstanding weather conditions. 

The final match was the real crunch and nail-biting game played between USM and PSC. USM set a total of 93 on the board in 20 overs. Since from the word go PSC had been the hot favorite for that tournament, but USM could reach the victory stand by the margin of only 4 runs. The final match exhibited good cricket from both the teams with trophy falling into the lap of the USM cricket team. Mr Noor Hayat was the umpire throughout the tournament. Final ceremony was held at the end of the final match in which President of the Penang Cricket Association had given medals to both teams and trophy to the winners. Indeed, it was a successful tournament for Penang Cricket Association and an entertaining event for its participants.

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USM snatches victory from jaws of defeat

PSC Vs USM Match Summary 

(9th August 2015)

The final match of the Penang T20 Cricket League was played between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Penang Sports Club (PSC) on August 9, 2015 on the PSC Cricket ground. The coin was thrown in the air at 9:00am and the match was started after 15 minutes of the toss. Penang Sports Club (PSC) elected to field first after winning the toss. The weather was very much cricket friendly. This was the second time when both teams were playing each other in this league as previously USM had defeated PSC.

Najam and Junaid started the match, but Najam gave his wicket in the very first over of the innings. He was clean bowled by Lovely without opening his account. Ubaid came in and started crafting a partnership with Junaid. Ubaid hit two boundaries in the over of Arjun. They continued their aggression and perfectly utilized the first mandatory power play. They both played well and scored 15 runs each. Kashif and Irfan Shah tried their best in the middle overs of the innings to put a handsome total on the scoreboard. In the end, USM managed to put 92 runs on the scoreboard and lost 6 wickets. Lovely and Arjun took 2 wickets each.  

In reply, PSC openers could not provide solid start and lost their first wicket cheaply. USM kept on picking the wickets, even as PSC batsmen kept themselves within touching distance of the required run-rate. After fall of two wickets, Yasir and Lovely tried to come out from the pressure of USM pacers and started developing a good partnership for PSC. At that time USM took back their strength, but Shahul came in and hit beautiful shots and tried to drag back the match.  He set 25 runs. Junaid came on the strike with great energy and he sent two batsmen back to the pavilions and did great bowling by.  His over was a turning point of the match. This low scoring match turned into a thriller as in the last over PSC required 13 runs. PSC could not chase down the total and USM snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat. They won this final match by 4 runs.

                                                                                                

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PSC seal victory in T20 against PSDT

PSC Vs PSDT Match Summary 

(2nd August 2015)

The seventh match of Penang T20 league was played between Penang Sports Club (PSC) and Penang Sports Development Team (PSDT) at PSC ground. The match was started at 9 am. Penang Sports Club (PSC) won the toss and elected to field first. The weather was very much cricket friendly as it was a bright sunny day. This game was a must win for both teams to qualify for the final of this Penang T20 league. 

Vinnay and  Shakeel started the PSDT innings with a positive mindset. Shakeel went back early as he was caught behind after adding 4 runs. Vinnay took the challenge and started crafting  innings with Harven but could not succeed to impress. He  tried to clear the field, but the ball disturbed the timber. He went back to the pavilion after scoring 10 runs. Harven played a brilliant knock and made 46 runs. The bass came in the middle and hit a couple of nice boundaries. Harven and Baz controlled the damage and made the scoreboard ticking. They played well, but only could manage to set 99 runs target. Daud was the key bowler from PSC who took 4 wickets. 

The start of PSC batting was not much different from PSDT as their opener could not provide a solid stand and Yasir threw his wicket very early. In reply to PSDT meager target of 99, Shahul played a solid innings and hit a couple of good boundaries. He made quick 33 runs. After his wicket Lovely took the charge and started hitting good drives. He was bowled after adding 16 runs by Baz. His magical second spell was a key and put PSC under immense pressure. In his last over, Baz bowled very nicely and did not let the batsmen to score runs. The low total match turned into a thriller as PSC chased down the target with the second ball of the last over. They not only won this match, but also cement their place in the final.

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Penang kicked off Malaysian Premier League 2015

Day 1 Penang Vs KL Match Summary 

(23th May 2015)

Penang finally kicked off their Malaysian Premier League Tier A campaign when they hosted Kuala Lumpur at the Penang Sports Club on Saturday (23rd May 2015). Due to overnight showers and an overcast morning, the start of the match had to be delayed due to the pitch being damp. The delayed start resulted in the match being reduced to 42 overs a side.

Upon winning the toss, Kuala Lumpur put Penang in to bat. Penang’s innings got off to a sluggish start as the openers fought valiantly to weather the storm of KL’s opening duo of Neville Liyanage and Nazril Rahman. Harven Kumar’s dismissal in the 9th over with a mere 4 runs on the board brought Penang’s Mr Dependable, Keithan Goonasagaran to the crease. Keithan, along with Kavin Kumar put up a partnership of 89 runs off 22.1 overs which put Penang in a commanding position and on the course of a score in excess of 150. Kavin was run out in the 31st over followed by Keithan’s own downfall 3 overs later. Keithan made a fluent 63 which set up the innings nicely. 

However, the run rate slowed and wickets started falling regularly once he was dismissed. Madushan Ravichandrakumar’s 11 runs and Thevan Raj’s brisk running due to enhanced aerodynamics with his head ensured that Penang put up a total of 138-9 off their allotted 42 overs, 20 runs or so short of what would have been ideal on the turning wicket. In Kuala Lumpur, skipper Neville Liyanage picked up 4-13 off his 9 overs. Nonetheless, the Penang team was pumped up and determined to fight all the way.

Bazeegh Zaka opened the bowling for Penang with his customary in-swinging leg cutters and at the other end was Senal de Silva with his tricky pace and swing. The Kuala Lumpur batsmen managed to keep the scoreboard ticking as they were comfortable with the ball coming on to their bats with the extra pace of Senal. A bold move by Penang’s captain in bringing on Harvindran Rajendran paid off handsomely as he removed Fikri Makram, Virandeep Singh and Manjula de Zoysa within 4 overs, reducing KL to 31-3 after 11.5 overs. KL had a minor revival, but when Madushan was brought into the attack, KL suffered another collapse. He bowled Syed Aziz in the 20th over, bringing the score to 61-4 and subsequently got the wickets of Prashan Wickramasinghe and Nazril Rahman in the 24th and 26th overs respectively, leaving KL reeling at 84-6. Neville Liyanage and Hassan Ghulam then shared a partnership of 28 runs to put the game right back in the balance, but Madushan had other ideas as he dismissed Neville in the 30th over and bowled Shahrulnizam Yusof around his legs in the 32nd over, leaving KL 8 down for 118 runs. 

Madushan finished with a brilliant 5-32 in his 9 overs. Senal was brought back into the attack and bombarded the batsmen with his pin-point yorkers, dismissing KL’s 10th batsman, Hafiz Khair with an accurate yorker on the stumps. At 123-9 off 34.2 overs, KL’s hopes laid solely on Hassan Ghulam but were left distraught when Hassan skied Kavin Kumar’s quarter-tracker and the catch pouched safely by Madushan at long off. KL were dismissed for 123 off 35.1 overs, giving Penang a 15 run win. For his outstanding performance in match, Madushan was deservingly adjudged the man of the match.

Penang’s win is a clear statement of intent and capability of going all the way this season as long as they continue to work hard as a team.

Day 2 Penang Vs KL Match Summary 

(24th May 2015)

A perfect day for cricket with excellent conditions as the Penang skipper, Darvin eventually left the toss to fall upon Kuala Lumpur hands which led Penang to bat first. The first innings commenced right away as Madushan Ravichandrakumar and Harven Kumar led the batting attack for Penang. Opening pair started off with a sloppy performance having over Harven Kumar’s early dismissal on the 2nd over, leaving likely with 2 runs on the board later on brought Penang’s promising batsmen, Keithan right into action. Adding into the agony was the disposal of Madushan’s precious wicket on the 3rd over for only a total of 5 runs collectively next having skipper Darvin to walk into the centre. Keithan alongside with Darvin lit up a partnership of 39 runs in 12.3 overs which actually had the scoreboard ticking for Penang. Keithan had a total of 22 runs to himself and eventually had his wicket thrown with the follow up of Kavin Kumar’s wicket to a LBW over Shahrulnizam Yusof’s bowling. As the trumping blow of wickets flew all over the park, a heavy load of pressure was to be carried out onto the middle order batsmen as runs were not progressive. 

Came into crease later on for Kavin was Chocolate Boy, Senal de Silva. Not long after, the dismissal of Darvin took place which had Penang’s keeper, Vinay Singh to take charge. Manjula’s incisive bowling allowed him to bag Vinay Singh’s wicket which had Penang with a total of 59 runs for 6 wickets in 22.4 overs allowed Bazeegh Zaka to unleash the beast in him. The partnership of 13 runs from Bazeegh and Senal gave Penang a composition of 72 runs. Bazeegh Zaka’s tip top batting was demolished by Hassan Ghulam as he had the ball hammering into the stumps having Baz with a total of 4 runs and right came along Senal’s wicket too. Bottom order batsmen threw off their wickets and left Penang all out in 30.4 overs with a total of 77 runs.

Bazeegh Zaka opened the bowling and at the other end was Penang’s Deadly Swinga, Harvindran. Kuala Lumpur batsmen were putting up runs on the scoreboard with a quick rate. However a quick change of Harvindran’s bowling to Senal paid off as Senal’s pitch perfect Yorker got Fikri Rosdi walking off to the stands on the 3rd over and also the wicket of Syed Aziz coming in shortly after. Madushan’s bowling that bagged him 5 wickets the previous day seemingly did not work much as he only managed to seal off opening batsmen Virandeep’s wicket who had a total of 11 runs of 40 balls faced. Later on Orthodox, Thevan Raj decisive bowling spells had him bag Hassan Ghulam’s wicket from a marvelous catch by Madushan. Kuala Lumpur were on 4-48 in 15.2 overs. Penang lit up on fire as the game was back on Evens Stevens. Manjula came in and hammered himself for a total of 23 runs, leaving Kuala Lumpur on 5-58 after his dismissal by Thevan Raj’s bowling and to a catch by Harvindran. 

However, PC Wickramasinghe and Nazril Rahman finished off the game and gave KL the victory after surpassing the target at 21.5 overs. Deservedly, Manjula de Zoysa was awarded man of the match.

By,

Vinay S.

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Young side emerged as Runners-Up in Finals

PCA 35 Overs League Finals Summary

(5th April 2015)

I have been honored the privilege of another year of addressing a very important area of cricket in Penang, the 35 OVERS PREMIER LEAGUE COMPETITION organized by the PENANG CRICKET ASSOCIATION (PCA). On an annual basis, this particular tournament is to form a major factor in encouraging playing numbers and giving opportunity to cricketers to excel in their sporting field. In addition to that, for every year this event has been held out, the atmosphere has always taken up a notch higher. It is great to see people from all ages to come together and play this magnificent game. It is also great to see that all participants reiterate preparations for this event to be treated with utmost importance and urgency so as to ensure that it is not taken for granted and never without a fight. This inauguration event was organized from November 9th 2014 to April 5th 2015.

The matches were played between 4 teams, namely:

1) TENTERA LAUT DIRAJA MALAYSIA (NAVY)

2) PENANG SPORTS CLUB (PSC)

3) AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE FORCE (ADF)

4) PENANG SPORTS DEVELOPMENT TEAM (PSDT)

Having defended champions, NAVY clenches it away once again with a clean sweep of five wins from six matches. NAVY as always came up with their ever tight fielding and a pretty solid batting lineup. And next up having PSDT as defending runners-up having a go with a silver medal once again. Never for once forgetting a team that played off with only youngsters from the age of 14 and so. PSDT heavier on their bowling managed to pull it off with the advantage they had. Besides that, PSDT boys also had a solid batting side having one of the most promising batsmen with consistent performances coming from here. These boys are ever energetic and ever burning spirits infield as well as the outfield. Lastly, having PSC consists of ex state players finishing off third in the table and ADF, the white men on fourth.

By,

Durgesh T.

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Penang Finishes Second in Group A

Day 1 Penang Vs Sarawak Match Summary 

(28th March 2015)

Both teams were greeted with typical sunny and partly cloudy weather at the Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur. The wicket looked like a beautiful batting track, but unfortunately the Penang skipper Darvin “dolly-dropper” Muralitharan lost the toss and as expected Sarawak had no hesitation in electing to bat first especially with National skipper Faiz Noor back in their starting XI.

Penang came out to the field pumped up and ready for battle! The first two wickets fell in quick succession with the score at 5 and 6 respectively. Opening bowlers Kavin “guns blazing” Kumar (6-0-16-0) and Baz Zaka (15-4-29-2) provided Penang with the perfect start. A gutsy decision by the Penang think-tanks who brought in the ever-so deceiving Harvindran “swinga” Rajendran (11-0-29-2) took two crucial wickets in his spell, the first coming in his very first over. At this stage Sarawak were reeling at 43/4 with Maxwell Stephen joining Faiz Noor in the middle. The introduction of Thevan “Mr Reliable” Raj at this stage further slowed down the scoring rate with a fantastic spell of 15-0-38-0 with an economy rate of 2.53 an over. Mr Reliable was unlucky not to pick up a wicket even though he frequently troubled the batsmen who got away with playing a few false strokes.The only noticeable partnership was 143 runs between Faiz and Maxwell. 

Faiz remained not out with a brilliant 114 runs while Maxwell Stephen chipped in with a edgy 67, frequently playing in the ‘A’. Keithan "air ball" Goona (12-0-33-0) was brought into the attack but proved to be just as useless as Kevin Pietersens talks of a return. Vinay "Marilyn Manson" Singh (11-0-35-3) came on later in the day to claim 3 quick wickets to help reduce Sarawak to 208/7 in their 75 overs.Due to Penang's extremely good over rate, they were required to bat out the last session of the day. 

Openers Varun ".98" Nadesh and Harven "silly" Kumar put on a solid partnership of 73 before Varun was out followed shortly by Harven with the score reading 79/2. 

Nightwatchman Baz who went in at one down was joined with Harinder "satay-man" Sekhon who provided a calm and cool Dhoni like presence out in the middle to ensure Penang did not lose anymore wickets. The day ended with Penang at 91/2, still 117 runs behind.

Day 2 Penang Vs Sarawak Match Summary 

(29th March 2015)

It was another good day for cricket as the sun was shining down on the Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur. Continuing where they left off from Day 1 Baz and Harinder gave Penang a good start by picking up singles. 

A bad call from Baz left him stranded mid-pitch and a cheeky bit of foul play saw him given out “obstructing the field”. In came Keithan who didn’t last as long as she’d like, getting out on 5.Darvin then chipped in with a quick and confident 20 before getting caught at cover to Penang’s utmost surprise and horror Harinder was stumped the very next ball for 22. Vinay Singh (27) and Pavithren “monstah” Nadesen (31) then helped Penang revive their innings with a partnership of 41 runs with Pavithren smashing two huge gayle-like sixes to keep Penang well in the chase. 

After putting up a good fight Vinay was bowled and Kavin Kumar joined Pavithren in the middle with Penang needing 10 runs from the last over to gain a first innings lead. Unfortunately Pavithren and Kavin (01) both got out and Penang were three runs short of gaining a first innings lead. Sarawak then started their second innings by losing an early wicket to Kavin Kumar with only 18 runs. 

The Penang bowlers bowled very well considering it was their second consecutive day on the field and took regular wickets. Varun “.98” Nadesh picked up 3/54 in his 14 overs, Vinay Singh picked up 2/23 in 5 overs and Thevan Raj, Kavin Kumar and Baz picking up 1 wicket each to leave Sarawak at 220/8 before the umpires called off the game as no result besides a draw was possible due to the time. 

Result:
The game ended with a draw, although Sarawak led by 2 runs in the first innings.Congratulations to all the Penang players who fought hard and never gave up till the very end! 

By,

Harinder S.

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Keithan Hits Century as Host Draws against Perak

Day 1 Penang vs Perak Match Summary
(21st March 2015)

It was a rainy Saturday morning, which resulted in a delay in the match. The Penang captain, Darvin, confident after winning the tosses in both the previous matches, eventually, lost the toss that morning which led Penang to bat first.

The first innings commenced at 1 p.m. After lunch with Harinderjit Singh and Varun leads the batting attack for Penang. Penang started off steadily with a run rate of  3 till Harinder miss-timed a cut shot only to be caught in the covers, leaving with a disappointing 13. Keithan Goona, who came in at 3, batted comfortably with Varun, forging a solid 73-run partnership between them till Varun, who was merely one run away from his half-century got caught at slips off Perak spinner, Khairul Iman.

Keithan and Harvindran looked promising in the middle as they slowly built their innings partnership only for Harvindran to miss-time a cut again straight to point ending his innings, making only 4 runs. The Penang skipper, Darvin looked spirited as he trotted to the middle to restore Penang's perfect start to the match replacing Harvindran. A shock decision from the umpire raising his finger to a foul appeal for a LBW going down the leg saw the Penang captain walking out of the ground frustrated. The awful decision from the umpire left everyone astonished including the Perak players.

The Penang batting line up crumbled after the skipper's wicket as Vinay Singh Harventheran came in to bat and steadied Penang's innings with Keithan in the middle as the pair batted in harmony slowly bringing up the Penang's score. Keithan played a vital role in their innings by making good communication to assist Harven to slowly build the score for Penang. The promising partnership soon came to an end when Harven was caught off  Perak spinner, Khairul Iman making only 7 runs and Kavintheran were both dismissed for zero and one.

Jeeventhra coming in for Harven, kept his calm and supported Keithan in middle frustrating the Perak bowlers. Jeeven kept his head down and batted according to the orders sent by the skipper and Keithan in the middle looking really confident batting lower down the order under a demanding situation. The day
ended on a high with Penang making 190-7.

Keithan made a solid 92, batting responsibly and taking charge in the middle reviving the hope to add the runs on the board for Penang while Jeeven made a safe 9.

Day 2 Penang vs Perak Match Summary

(22nd March 2015)

A perfect day for cricket with excellent conditions saw the Penang batsmen, Keithan and Jeeven, going into the middle with confidence to continue their brilliant innings from the previous day.

The innings started off well as the pair continued to add the runs on the board, putting the Perak bowlers under pressure. Sensible batting from Keithan saw him make another  century, only this time under more pressure. Jeeven's innings soon came to an end as he carved a quality 14 as he was also caught off the bowling of Muniandy.

Keithan began to attack the Perak bowlers as the tail-enders entered. Keithan's impressive innings, however approached to a close as he lofted the ball right down into the safe palms of the mid-on walking out with a head-high 117. The Penang inning soon after coming to an end amassing a hefty total of 226 on a tough PSC wicket for the Perak team to chase.

Penang roared into the field confident of constricting Perak for less as the pitch Baz missed out on the match due to personal issues and the weather was on their side. Penang's left arm expresses, Kavintheran, opened the bowling for the side continuing his smashing form from recent matches. On the other side, a tactical change from the skipper saw Vinay Singh, the spinner, coming into the attack early on rather than the traditional option, Baz.

The Perak batsmen weren't troubled much by the opening bowlers and their run rate gradually increased up to almost 8 runs per over forcing the skipper to introduce a variation into the bowling attack. Kubeyran, making his bowling debut for Penang bowled impressively early on and got the breakthrough in his second over bowling out Amir  Khan. Thevan came into the attack and was quickfire 50 of 38 balls, then skied a slog sweep straight to Harven Kumar at deep mid wicket of Thevan's bowling keeping it tight with Vinay from the other end to create pressure to the batsmen. Anuar Aruddin who scored a

Thevan Raj, Vinay Singh and Harven Kumar then kept the bowling tight and brought the scoring rate down to 4 runs an over. A tactical move to bring Kavin Kumar paid off when he removed the in form Pasha Shafiq for 16. Perak then had a 90 run partnership through Norwira and Khasif taking the score to 191 before Khasif got caught on 47, edging the ball to skipper Darvin Murali off Vinay's bowling.


Vinay Singh bowled an impressive spell taking another wicket of Sharvin Muniandy finishing his allotted 15 overs with figures of 2 for 50. Kubeyran then took the wicket of Khairul Iman with an extraordinary catch by Harvendran Rajendran at short covers who cushioned the ball in between his legs to pull it off leaving the score at 202 for 6.

Norwira took Perak pass Penang's first innings score of 226 and eventually scored his century. Darvin Muralitharan again with his shrewd thinking brought his trump card, Keithan Goona to bowl. After scoring a brilliant 117, he also shined with the ball, picking up 3 quick wickets and finishing with figures of 3 for 19. He surprised everyone, including the skipper with his bowling efforts cementing his spot in the bowling line up.


Result:
The game resulted in a draw with Perak takes a lead of  57 at the end of play. It's a close finish to see which team tops the group with Penang yet to play their last group match against Sarawak next weekend.

By,

Thevan Raj

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An Interview with Penang’s rising all-rounder Vinay Singh

This week we had the opportunity to interview one of Penang’s rising talent Vinay Singh. The interview was carried out as below.

Q: How long have you been playing the sport called Cricket?

A: I have been playing the sport for the past 10 years that is since the year 2005.

Q: What made you take up wicket keeping?

A: Initially there wasn’t a wicket keeper in the Penang U-12 state team therefore I had no choice but to accept the role if I wanted to be in the playing 11. After a while though, I found a liking to it as it came naturally to me so I took it as an opportunity to better myself in this role as I slowly moved up the ranks from the U-12 level up to the senior state level and finally representing my country Malaysia in the U-16 and 19 age levels.

Q: How long have you been playing for the Penang Senior state team?

A: I have been in the Penang senior state squad for the past 8 years that is since the year 2007 but I have been regularly featured in the playing 11 for the past 4 years since 2011.

Q: What is your most memorable moment in your cricket career so far?

A: My most memorable moment in my cricket career so far will be the time when we were crowned champions of the U-16 Asian Cricket Council in 2012. This was because not only did we had the privilege and honor to be the first ever Malaysian team to win an ACC trophy but we also finally managed to beat our nemesis Nepal in a low scoring thriller of a final.

Q: If you had not taken up Cricket, what will you have been doing today?

A: If I had not taken up cricket, I would have been a footballer as I was a goalkeeper for my primary school team before taking up cricket.

Q: Who are your cricket idols?

A: My favorite Penang cricketer would be Mr Avtar Singh, who was like me used to open the batting for Penang and we also share a similar style of batting where we like to build our innings. My favorite International cricketer will be one of the great Indian batting legends who is also known as “The Wall” by cricket pundits around the globe, Rahul Dravid.

Q: How do you keep yourself fit, especially since you are a wicket keeper who is known to be one of the most fit and agile member in the team?

A: For my pre–match session, which means at least a couple of weeks leading up to the match, I will do some jogging, play some tennis, net practice and do a lot of fielding drills. For my post match session, which means a day prior to the match and after the match I make sure I get complete rest and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

Q: How do you balance your time between your studies and cricket as you were not only a National and state cricketer but also an A star student?

A: I always believe that one should be able to prioritize at what is more important at that Particular point of time be it preparation for an important exam or match. I also try to minimize the time in doing stuff that are of less importance or bring no value to me.

Q: As you know the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is being played and who do you think are the favorites to lift the coveted trophy come this 29 March?

A: Well, that is a tough one as my mind says New Zealand is going to win it as they are currently playing a fearless brand of Cricket but my heart says India as they have always been the team that I have supported since my childhood days.

Q: What are you currently doing now and what are your plans for the future?

A: I am currently pursuing an American Degree Program in Inti-College Penang and I am due to leave for the States most likely at the end of this year or early next year. In the future, I would I ideally want to pursue a career in cricket, but I also want to ensure that I obtain a degree in Mechanical Engineering to fall back on as well.

Thank You Vinay Singh for your time and I wish you all the very best in your cricket career as well as in all your future undertakings.

By,

G. Guhan

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