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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PENANG CRUSHES PAHANG BY AN INNING AND 101 RUNS

Day 1 Penang vs Pahang Match Summary

(14th March 2015)

They are a young squad. They play, they have fun ...... and they WIN.

Penang continued their perfect form in the MCA fast track two day format league against Pahang at the Penang Sports Club oval.

It was 9 in the morning and Penang captain Darvin won the toss and elected to bat first with a good outfield.

Penang opening batsmen of  Vinay Singh and Harinderjit Singh started off brilliantly  with a 1st wicket partnership of 41 runs in 12.3 overs before the former was caught behind after playing an attempted cut shot and got the bottom edge of the bat.

Penang star batsman Keithan Goonasagaran came in next to the crease and started bludgeoning the ball to all parts of the ground. He easily outscored his partner Harinderjit Singh during their partnership of a whopping 313 runs, which is also a Penang state record.

Keithan was unfortunate to miss out on what would have been the first double centurion by a Penangite when he fell agonizingly short for a sublime 195 when he was dismissed caught at extra covers when he tried for another lofted drive. Harinderjit Singh also continued his blistering form in this tournament by racking another century, this time with a measured 120 runs before he was out LBW.

Penang were again on the verge of posting a huge 1st innings total with the scoreboard showing  354-2 after 58.5 overs. The Penangites suffered a mini collapse after the wicket of Harinderjit Singh when they lost 4 quick wickets in the space of 20 runs as they were trying to get quick runs before the declaration. The others who contributed  were Darvin (4), Kavin Kumar (7), Varun Nadesh (13) and  Bazeegh Zaka (8).

Penang declared at the 66th over with a formidable 1st innings score of 391 runs for the fall of 6 wickets.

The peak of the Pahang bowlers was Chandresan with 3 for 80, Fuzainee 2-87,  and Syukur  picking up a wicket.

Pahang’s had a chase up their sleeves and got off the worst possible start when they were reduced to 6-3 in 6.1 overs. At stumps on day 1 Pahang were 76-7 in 25 overs with only Imran Yaqoob providing some resistance with a half century.

Day 2 Penang vs Pahang Match Summary
(15th March 2015)

Pahang resumed the innings and leading the charged continuing where he left off yesterday was Imran Yaqoob who played sensibly yet destructively.

Scoring without fear while wickets was tumbling the other side, Imran took the responsibility to keep going and try to reduce the deficit of Penang’s  colossal target.

It was too much of a task as wickets kept on tumbling on the other side and  eventually Pahang were bundled out for a 1st innings score of  118 by Imran scoring 78 not out.

The peak of the bowlers for that innings were left arm pacer Kavintheran Kumar with figures of 5-38, Bazeegh Zaka 3-27, and Thevan Raj picks up a wicket with a modest spell.

Penang enforced the follow on and Pahang was put in to bat for the second time in the match. Pahang’s horrid time with the bat continued in the second innings as well when Bazeegh Zaka quickly found a  breakthrough and the score was 4-1 in 3.5 overs.

One down batsman Amdan scored a rapid fire 33 and forged a partnership of 39 in 34 balls for the second wicket with Syakir. Amdan was later caught at covers playing an uppish drive and in came the in- form batsman Imran has taken charge once again.

Imran and Syakir  were looking at ease and  started to get a partnership going as they were playing the spinners and pacers with comfort.  Penang captain Darvin had a hunch and brought on Harvindran Rajendran. It proved to be a masterful decision against the run of play when Harvindran captured the prized scalp of Imran.

Left arm express Kavintheran Kumar made quick work of the batting line up with an exemplary performance of fast bowling with the ball and also not forgetting Bazeegh Zaka with another great performance. Both of them were responsible in finishing the longish Pahang batting tail.

In the end, Pahang were all out for a paltry 172 runs in 42 overs.
The peak of the bowlers for Penang were Bazeegh Zaka 4-32, Kavintheran Kumar 3-25 while Keithan and Harvindran Rajendran picked up a wicket each.

The star performers with the bat in this match are Keithan for his 195, and Harinderjit Singh for his 120 runs where else Kavintheran was the stand out performer with the ball by taking 8 wickets in the match.

Final Results:
Penang beat Pahang  by an inning and 101 runs

By,
Jeeventra

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Penang Thrashes Terengganu

Day 1 Penang vs Terengganu Match Summary

(28th February 2015)

Penang started their campaign in the MCA fast track two day format league against Terengganu at the Penang Sports Club oval. It was a 9 am start and the Penang captain Darvin had no hesitation in batting first after seeing the lush green outfield.

The Penang opening batsmen put up a decent start putting up 27 runs for the first wicket before Vinay Singh decided to play an uppish drive and was caught at covers for 16. Penang’s charge was further hampered following the wickets of Kavin Kumar for 16 and Penang’s trump card Keithan Goona for 4. The score board was reading 70 for 3 in 20.4 overs and were staring down the barrel.Penang started their campaign in the MCA fast track two day format league against Terengganu at the Penang Sports Club oval. It was a 9 am start and the Penang captain Darvin had no hesitation in batting first after seeing the lush green outfield.

Then, the duo of Harinderjit Singh who is making his debut for Penang and skipper Darvin Muralitharan forged a 154 runs partnership for the 4^th wicket. None of the Terengganu bowlers were spared as both Darvin and Harinder punished them with a wide array of shots all over the ground. When Darvin was finally dismissed for a swashbuckling 91 of just 81 balls, Penang’s score showed 224 for the loss of 3 wickets and were in a dominant position to push on for a score in excess of 300.

Harinder was not finished yet though and continued forging valuable partnerships with Pavithren (15) and Bazeegh Zaka (28). During which his most productive shot being his signature back foot cover drives to the boundary. Harinder was later dismissed at the back end of the day but not before making a career best 161 runs from 195 balls. Some late hitting from the lower order batsmen allowed Penang to declare in the 68^th over after amassing a colossal total of 350 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.

The pick of the bowlers for Terengganu were Khairul Azmin with 3 for 93,Amiruddin Azhar 2 for 58, Khairul Izuan and Muhamad Muazam picking up a wicket a piece.

Terengganu’s chase got off to the worst possible start as their opening batsmen Norhamizan was bowled through the gate by Penang’s left arm express Kavintheran Kumar for a duck and the score reading 0 for 1.Amiruddin and Mohd Aizuan consolidated with a 50 runs stand for the second wicket before the former getting a rush of blood to the head skying one to long on of the bowling of Thevan Raj for 46 runs.

At stumps on day 1, Terengganu were 58 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 26 overs and needing a further 192 runs to avoid the follow on. 

Day 2 Penang vs Terengganu Match Summary

(1st March 2015)

Terengganu resuming at 58 for 2 quickly lost a cluster of wickets within two hours of play to be bundled out for a paltry 132 runs in the 61^st over. This was largely due to the Penang bowlers who bowled well in tandem and was also backed up by their fielders who maintained exemplary standards and intensity throughout the innings. The pick of the bowlers for Penang was Kavintheran Kumar, who took 3 for 13 runs, Vinay Singh 3 for 36runs, Bazeegh Zaka 2 for 30 runs, Pavithren Nadaeson 1 for 4 runs and Thevan Raj 1 for 13 runs. The notable contributors with the bat for Terengganu were Amiruddin Azhar (46), Muhd Muazzam (21 not out), Faizshal Niaz-Lyn (18) and Hamizal Haris (14).

Penang enforced the follow on and Terengganu batting for the second time again in this match found themselves again in a similar precarious position of 11 for the loss of 2 wickets as the ruthless Penangites set about demolishing their opponents. Terengganu persisted and tried to keep the Penangites in the field for as long as possible in the hopes of salvaging a draw at the least from this game. The result was inevitable, though, especially when Jeeventra Kuhilan who is making his debut in this match bowled with hostility and pace to finish off with figures of 3 for 29 runs. Terengganu was eventually dismissed for 114 runs in the 42^nd over just 10 minutes before the tea break. The other Penang bowlers who made their mark were left arm express Kavintheran Kumar, who again followed up his 3 wickets in his first innings with another 3 wickets this time for 21 runs, Bazeegh Zaka again took 2 wickets this time returning with figures of 2 for 12 runs, Thevan Raj 1 for 6 runs and Vinay Singh 1 for 11 runs.

The Terengganu batsmen that showed some resistance were Mohamad Rizuan (39), Amiruddin Azhar (26) and Faizshal Niaz-Lyn (16).

The star performers of the match were no doubt Harinderjit Singh for his 161 runs and Darvin Muralitharan for his 91 runs that laid the foundation for the intimidating total which later made it easier for the bowlers as well.

Final Results:
Penang leads Terengganu by an inning and 104 runs

By,
G.Guhan

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