PSC beats USM

PSC beats USM 

(15 November 2015)

The third match of Penang 30 overs Cricket League was played between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Penang Sports Club (PSC) on November 15, 2015 on Penang Sports Club (PSC) Cricket ground. The coin was thrown in the hot air at 9:15am and the match was started after 15 minutes of the toss. PSC captain Shahul won the toss and invited USM to bat first.



Penang Sports Club (PSC) elected to field first after winning the toss. The opening faces from USM team was Najam and Mosiur. Lovely opened the bowled the very first over of the innings. On the very first ball of the match Najam tried to hit the ball, but the lofted drive went straight on mid on and Daud took a splended catch. The USM batsmen continued their aggression, but could not utilize the first mandatory power play as they lost three wickets. Masiur and Rana were the only two batsmen who went into double figure. Daud and Arjun took three wickets each. USM managed to put 57 runs on the scoreboard and lost all wickets.



In reply, PSC openers could not provide solid start and lost their wickets cheaply. USM kept on picking the wickets, even as PSC batsmen kept themselves within touching distance of the required run-rate. After fall of three wickets, Shahul and Yasir tried to come out from the pressure of USM pacers and started developing a good partnership for PSC. Shahul was bowled on Kashif’s in swinging yorker and Yasir could not clear the boundary and caught on long-on by Najam. At that time USM took back their strength but Shan and Mohan came in and hit beautiful shorts and won the match. PSC chased down the minor target of 58 runs after 11th over. #

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USM seal victory in T20 against ADF

USM seal victory in T20 against ADF

( 5 December 2015)

The fourth match of Penang 30 overs league was played between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) at Penang Sports Club (PSC) cricket ground ground. Match was started at 9:30 am because of the wet conditions. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) won the toss and elected to bat first.

Both openers of USM went back to the pavilion in a quick succession. They could not manage to deal with the pace of ADF bowlers. They sent back Najam on the 2nd ball of the match when tried to clear the mid off and cought. Kashif also could not prove his worth and went back to pavillion in the 2nd over. After the departure of both opners ADF bowlers took controle and started taking wickets in regular intervals. Depan showd the resistence but went back after scoring 18 runs. On the total of 62 eight batsmen were out then Zubair came in and started developing partnership with Zaigham. He hit three 6s and two boundries. He got out in 29th over and made 45 runs and helped USM to raise total of 125. The sloppy fielding of ADF caused them 19 extra runs. The whole team (USM) managed to score only 124 runs and all out in 29.2 overs. ADF pacer Raffin and Hamill took 3 wickets each.


The start of ADF batting was different from USM as their opener provided a solid opening stand. Lind and Skinner scored 19 and 16 respectively. The ADF batsmen could not last longer against the magical bowling spell of Kashif who took 5 wicket and helped his team to bowled out ADF on 83 runs. USm won the match by 43 runs.

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UTP seal victory in T20 against PSDT

UTP seal victory in T20 against PSDT

(8 November 2015)

The first match of Penang 30 overs league was played between Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and Penang Sports Development Team (PSDT) at Penang Sports Club (PSC) ground. Match was delayed 30 minutes and started at 9:30 am due to the wet outfield. Penang Sports Development Team (PSDT) 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 as the first step towards lifting the trophy.

Vinnay and Belveran started the PSDT innings with positive mindset. The both opners played well and managed to stay on the wicket against the UTP fast bowlers. Belveran went back early as he was clean bowled by Hafeez. He made 11 runs. Vinnay took the challenge and started crafting innings with Varun 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 14 runs. Harven played a brilliant knock and made 23 runs. They played well but only could manage to set 118 runs target. Hafeez was the key bowler from PSC who took 3 wickets.

The start of UTP batting was much different from PSDT as their provide a solid stand and managed to build a good partnership. In reply to PSDT meager target of 118, Najaf played a solid innings and hit couple of good boundaries. He made quick 50 runs and remained not out. Asif also took the charge and started hitting good drives. He was bowled after adding 33 runs by Vinay. UTP chased down the total of 118 runs in the 23rd over.

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PCA 30 Overs League 2015 Results

Teams	Played	Won	Loss	Draw	Total
ADF	2	-	2	-	-
UTP	3	3		-	12
PSC	2	1	1	-	4
PSDT	1		1	-	-
USM	2	1	1	-	4
Dates	Teams	Column1	Venue	Time	Results
8/11/2015	PSDT	UTP	PSC	9:00 AM	UTP won by 9 wickets
14/11/2015	ADF	UTP	PSC	9:00 AM	UTP won by 7 wickets
15/11/2015	USM	PSC	PSC	9:00 AM	PSC wond y 5 wickets
5/12/2015	ADF	USM	PSC	9:00 AM	USM won by 43 runs
6/12/2015	UTP	PSC	PSC	9:00 AM	UTP won by 25 runs
12/12/2015	USM	UTP	PSC	9:00 AM	-
13/12/2015	PSDT	USM	PSC	9:00 AM	-
19/12/2015	SD	PSDT	PSC	9:00 AM	-
20/12/2015	PSC	ADF	PSC	9:00 AM	-
TBC	PSDT	PSC	PSC	9:00 AM	-
Final			PSC	9:00 AM	-

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UTP BEATS ADF

UTP BEATS ADF 

(14 November 2015)

The second match of Penang 30 overs league was played between Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) at Penang Sports Club (PSC) ground. Match was delayed 30 minutes and started at 9:30 am due to the wet outfield. Australian Defence Force (ADF) won the toss and elected to bat first. The weather was very much cricket friendly as it was a bright sunny day. This game was a must win for both teams towards lifting the trophy.

Kamal and Allkan started the ADF innings with positive mindset. The both opners played well and managed to stay on the wicket against the UTP fast bowlers. Allkan went back early as he was clean bowled by Emaad. He made 3 runs. Kamal took the challenge and started crafting innings with Tilbrook 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 15 runs. Tilbrook played a brilliant knock and made 42 runs. They played well but only could manage to set 90 runs target. Emaad was the key bowler from UTP who took 4 wickets.

The start of UTP batting was much different from ADF as their openers provided a solid stand and managed to build a good partnership. In reply to ADF meager target of 91, Kaka played a solid innings and hit couple of good boundaries. He made quick 23 runs. After him Khakwani came in and took the charge and started hitting good drives. He added 33 runs and remained not out. UTP chased down the total of 91 runs in the 11th over.

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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 bowled Sarawak for 162

Penang Vs Sarawak Match Summary 

(30th May 2015)

It was a gritty day for the boys as the bowlers were ready to shoot the balls to the stumps and the batsmen were ready to watch the opponent’s ball go pass the rope. It was them against the Sarawak which previously ripped KL apart. Penang skipper, Darvin Muralitharan had won the toss and decided to let the team feel the ball before they could start hitting it. The game had then started and the first wicket was taken in the 4^th overs. Later, one wicket kept falling and they resulted in a decent target of 163 runs for the Penang thunderbolts to chase.

The openers, Varun Nadesh and the skipper himself  gave a good kickoff of 19 runs. Unfortunately, Skipper  was bowled in the 7^th overs. 2 other important wickets, Keithan Goonasagaran and Harventheran Kumar fell after him, which was a horrifying vision for Penang. But still there was one of Lanka’s best, Madushan Ravichandrakumar  who started back the confidence for Penang and made a good partnership with Kavintheran Kumar together spiking 70 runs on the board. Then again started the falling wickets and resulted in 110 runs on the board which was insufficient to feed the target by 52 runs.

The main highlights for Penang was Madushan Ravichandrakumar who made 38 off 49 balls and Senal de Silva, who scored 20 runs off 47 balls. For Sarawak, there was Shafiq Sharif, who made 51of 81 balls and HIA Jayaratne with his 47 off 37 balls. Sarawak’s reliable DK Ranaweera was awarded man of the match for his marvelous 5 wickets. Also Thevan Raj took 3 wickets, Baazegh 2 and Kavintheran Kumar 2 which was really outstanding and glorious for Penang.

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Its Penang boys against Selangor this time

Penang Vs Selangor Match Summary 

(6th June 2015)

It was an important match for Penang boys against Selangor which was played at Kinrara on the 6^th of June 2015 because the Penang boys previously lost 2 and drew 1. It was a perfect day for cricket with excellent conditions as the Penang skipper, Darvin won the toss and decided to bat first.

The innings started off with our Penang Ponting, Varun Nadesh to open with our skipper, Darvin Muralitharan. The opening pair started off playing some defensive shots. Not to play anything outside the stumps. As Varun was dismissed in the second over itself, leaving only 3 runs on the board. Then, Penang most promising batsmen Keithan Goona was brought into action to bat with Darvin. Adding to add, as the ‘Brothers of Destruction’ were batting really well, but somehow our Keithan played a really unlucky shot and got himself caught at the boundary line by de Silva. Penang upcoming young star Kavintheran Kuamr was up next to bat. Just when the right hand left hand combination was starting to look well our skipper was out in the 9^th Over and added more pressure, putting the runs on the board.

Then Penang’s Chocolate boy Senal de Silva came into the crease, but he didn’t last long as well as he was bowled in the 11^th overs. As the run rate was very low and having so much to offer Penang’s new promising Sri Lankan talent Madushan Ravichandrakumar was next to bat. Just when a partnership was started to get going Kavin was unlucky as he got out for a lbw. Vinay Singh was in the crease this time and he didn’t last long as well as he was bowled by the Selangor bowler. Madushan and Shahul Hameed, who came in the 19^th overs started to hit the ball hard and made batting look easy. Shahul’s experience and Madushan’s ability with the bat helped Penang’s run rate increase. As both were busy hitting the ball out of the park Madushan was unlucky this time as he got caught by playing a silly shot at the 36^th overs. Bazeegh Zaka came into the crease to bat and was looking to put a great partnership with Shahul but it didn’t end up well as Shahul was out in the next over itself. Youngster Harventheran Kumar was at this time, but he didn’t stay long as well. He got caught at square leg as he tried to play a flick shot. The final and last batsman for Penang, Thevan Raj Kumar came in the 40^th overs but was bowled for a duck.

Penang boys had to defend their total which was 178 runs. For Selangor side, their skipper Suhan Alagaratnam and Shankar Shathish opened the batting. Senal de Silva opened the bowling for Penang and bowled 3 overs. He gave away 23 runs. On the other hand, Kavintheran Kumar, who bowled 4 overs with the economy rate of 4.5. As the batsmen were only using those attacking shots, most of our bowlers had no choice of bowling on the off side. A spinner was introduced to reduce the run rate of the opposition. Madushan Ravichandrakumar bowled 5 overs and gave away 28 runs with 2 no balls and 1 wide. Our Penang skipper had no choice but he had to bring us Evergreen Bazeegh Zaka into the bowling attack. He bowled 5 overs really well and didn’t give away as many runs as we thought he would. Darvin Muralitharan our skipper with his experience wanted to bowl a few overs by himself, which turned out to be costly as well. He also introduced another leggie which was Varun Nadesh but he bowled 2 disappointing overs as he gave away 24 runs just in 2 overs. Penang dependable left hand, orthodox, Thevan Raj bowled a few overs well and got a wicket on the 17^th overs. Unfortunately, he got smacked as well by Selangor batsmen and he ended up with the economy rate of 7.94.

Finally, as the was two balls to spare in Thevan’s 6^th overs, he got hit for a four and a six and the match ended in the 25^th overs. The player of the match was rewarded to Tharanga from Selangor.

By,

Harven K.

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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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RSC Mercilessly Slaughtered Penang State

Penang vs RSC

It was a wonderful Sunday morning at the Royal Selangor Club (RSC) as the teams arrived. Penang was faced with a tough task of toppling the home side on a pitch that favored neither side. Stand in captain for Penang, Varun Nadesh won the toss and elected to field on what looked to be a fairly poor batting track. The Penang team had a younger side than usual, as a few of the top guns were unavailable for this match up.

One of the top wicket takers of the recent MCA 2-day tournament, Kavin Kumar opened the bowling attack for Penang and was well supported by Harvind from the other end. RSC’s captain Rohan Vishnu was looking to try out all the foreigners that Kuala Lumpur (KL) had signed for the upcoming 50 over league and sent in one of the few Sri Lankans who had played first class cricket. Prashant opened the batting with youngster Virandeep Singh. Both batsmen had very shaky starts to their innings as they found it very difficult to find the middle of the bat. Despite all their efforts, the Penang side was deemed unlucky, as they could not find a way to break the opening partnership that was slowly setting in. A few edges that went through slips and gully eased the pressure of the batsmen. After a 4 over spell, Kavin was replaced by the left-arm orthodox, Thevan who had a very rough start as he failed to find his line or length, was hit for 2 fours in his first over that cost him 12 runs in total. Tharek Aziz was one of the KL juniors that were asked to play for the Penang Side that had an incomplete side and he was soon brought into the attack to replace Harvind after a 5-over spell. Just before the water break, Prashant showed why he’s not playing for Sri Lanka as he was struggling for breath by the 10th over and had to leave the field. The next batsman in was Suresh Singh who played off the remaining over before the water break. RSC was 56 for no loss in 13 overs.

Penang came back strongly after the water break. Thevan picked up two quick wickets. First to depart was Suresh Singh who has caught behind and Virandeep who was caught at covers the very next over. Vinay Singh was soon brought into the attack to create a left arm / right arm combination. Manjula who was another foreigner was in next with RSC veteran Suresh Sakadevan. Both new batsmen at the crease and the Penang bowlers were making it very tough for the duo to get on with proceedings. However a few drop catches behind the stumps and a few others, proved to be very costly as both new batsmen made it count. Nevertheless, Thevan and Vinay contained the batting duo as much as possible. Thevan ended woth figures of 2-32 and Vinay gave away 30 runs in his 8 overs with no wickets. Vinay Singh soon took over the gloves from Varun after the batting power play. Kavin was brought back into the attack for a quick and economical 2 over spell. Varun brought himself into the attack but was dispatched to the boundary with ease by the set batsman, Manjula. Suresh retired on 46 and foreigner Dulanga came to the crease. Set batsman Manjula went on to make his half-century and was supported by new batsmen Dulanga. Penang bowlers still fought back with Harvind and Kavin causing a lot of difficulties for the set batsmen. Towards the end of the innings, young left-arm orthodox bowler, Raakesh was brought into the attack and proved to be effective in his first over with Kavin running out set batsman Manjula. Durgesh was the next youngster to bowl as he picked up the wicket of Vivegan who has taken beautifully by the one of the RSC juniors, Saifullah. RSC ended with a whopping score of 236 in 40 overs.

Penang openers Varun and Tharek were faced with a tough task of chasing down the score with RSC’s deadly bowling attack. Current National A coach, Thusara Kodikara opened the bowling with KL opening bowler, Neville. The duo made batting very difficult for the openers as the both got the ball to swing and seam from the first ball. A misunderstanding between the openers had Tharek run out bringing in Jeeven who was given a stroke of luck when he had an inside edge that merely missed the stumps and eventually ran away to the boundary. Both batsmen showed some resistance but Varun was soon caught at covers trying to dispatch Pavandeep. Vinay was the next man in but was trapped LBW by Pavandeep. Unfortunately for the Penang boys, these wickets caused a chain like reaction causing the rest of the batting order to collapse. Kodikara soon bowled Jeeven and Harvind was welcomed to the crease. Bobby soon joined him and both batsmen had a small partnership but foreigner Dulanga soon ripped through the Penang batting line-up claiming 4 wickets. Penang was soon bundled out for 68 runs in 23 overs. The Penang Boys made no mentionable contributions with the bat. Final result, Penang lost by 169 runs.

By,

Varun N.

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Fighting Penang goes down to KL

Day 1 Penang Vs KL Match Summary (18th April 2015)

It was a big day for the boys as it was the semi-finals against KL at the Kinrara Oval. Penang loss the toss and was put into bat, which was what skipper, Darvin intended to do if he had won the toss. 

Penang openers, Harinder Singh and Harventheran Kumar walked in looking to torment the bowlers on a nice flat track. Unfortunately, Harinder was bowled of the 3rd ball of the 1st over by an inswinger. Keithan then came in at number 3 and had a small partnership with Harven before he was out caught making a positive 20. Darvin in at number 4 played positively against the spinners but didn’t last long either before he was out caught in the covers. 19 year old Harven was still at the crease and played a couple of elegant strokes before he was dismissed for a useful 23.

Vinay Flying Singh got off to a decent start, but an ugly mix up between him and Kavin resulted in a run-out. Wickets then kept falling at regular intervals for Penang and what was of our most concern is that most batsmen got off to a good start but fail to covert those starts to bigger scores.Penang was eventually bundled out for 129 runs.

The game was still far from over with the Penang boys taking the field and looking to strangle KL for anything below 129. Kavin and Baz opened the bowling and bowled with a lot discipline resulting in Kavin plucking the 1st wicket. KL batsmen were playing very safe trying to see off the bowlers till the end of days play. Darvin kept rotating the bowlers and has his field checked in an attacking mode. Vinay Flying Singh came to the rescue and snapped up 2 wickets in his first over, including the big wicket of Suhan. KL were immediately pushed back and sent in a nightwatchmen to see off the day. Just before the end of the days play, Keithan was introduced with his handy off breaks and bagged 2 wickets to leave KL at 140-5 at the end of day 1. Credit has to be given to KL’s opening bat, Virandeep who parried the team’s score and was unbeaten on 55 on day 1.

Day 2 Penang Vs KL Match Summary (19th April 2015)

Knowing KL has surpassed our team’s score, mastermind Darvin came up with a game plan of trying to bundle out KL as fast as possible, put up a defendable score in quick time and then try to snap up another 10 wickets to seal the deal. As there was no other route, the Penang boys took the field with a positive intent of accomplishing the game plan. Virandeep was batting alongside the KL skipper, Neville and was very lucky to have survived a few drop catches early on. Penang looked a little sloppy at the beginning with a few missed chances and a brainless over-throw by Thevan Mangga Raj. Vinay Flying Singh came to the rescue again snaring Neville and in no time bagging Rosman to finish off with 4 wickets. KL was dismissed for 262 in 74 overs with opening bat, Virandeep remaining unbeaten with a sensible century to his name.

Penang is now looking to pile up quick runs in no time and decided to promote Pavithren up the order in an attempt to see some fireworks. Unfortunately, Pavithren continued his sublime form over the weekend with another duck to his name. Opening bat, Harven was a joy to watch with his elegant drives and flicks as he and superstar, Keithan put up a decent partnership for the 2nd wicket. They both played with positive intent looking to attack the KL bowlers resulting in a wide-spread field placement. 

The Penang dugout was anxious and excited as Harven was nearing his maiden fifty, but unfortunately he was dismissed for an excellent 48. Keithan and Darvin had another massive partnership as the two went past their fifties, scoring 63 and 60 respectively. Penang eventually piled up 209-5 in 40 odd overs when Darvin decided to declare upon his dismissal. 

Settling a tricky target score of 77, KL were sent in to bat with slightly about more than an hour of play left for the day. Kavin once again started the proceedings and bagged the 1st wicket as the batsman chipped the ball back on to his stumps. Vinay then trapped their number 3 batsmen in front and has KL reeling with 2 wickets down in no time. KL then shifted gears and were looking very defensive, trying to play for the draw. Bad light interrupted the last half hour of the last session and the umpires decided to call it off with the captain's approval.

It was the end of the road for the Penang boys as KL were through to the finals due to the 1st innings lead. Nevertheless, Penang had a lot of positives to take from this tournament and as Penang’s trademark is always fielding a young side with homegrown talent, this could be a learning curve for the boys. The boys are still fired up as the MPL kicks off end of next month.

Stay tuned.

By,
Pavithran.N

(Pictures credit goes to the Malaysian Cricket Association)

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