The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Game set for a big boost in Malaysia

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Monday, Sep 11, 2006
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Game set for a big boost in Malaysia

S. Ram Mahesh

KUALA LUMPUR: Come Tuesday, and a rather unfamiliar spectacle will be played out on what till very recently was a rubber plantation. Those working here, nailing together wooden struts, assembling an electronic screen — previously resident at the SSC, Colombo — from dismembered parts, seemed to want little to do with will unfold. "Kraikate?" one asked. Yes, cricket.

It matters little that the reigning World Cup champion, runner-up and the current Champions Trophy winner have converged to play what promises to be an interesting series at a most striking venue.

"Cricket is not big, not big at all," said Mahinda Vallipuram, Vice-President, Malaysian Cricket Association. "Football is the mass sport here, but interestingly in terms of performance, cricket actually out-does a lot of sports. In the age-group tournaments, we do pretty well. It's in taking the next step do things drop off," he said.

Alright. But, will this translate into spectator interest? "The response has been tremendous. In fact, (because of this) the BCCI has released some of its tickets to us," he said.

No sight of India

Those who turned up at the Kinrara Oval on Sunday — mostly expat Indians, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite players — had to settle for West Indies in the morning and Australia under lights.

Team India arrived here in the wee hours of Sunday. Bleary-eyed, the side, minus Yuvraj Singh, trudged through passport control — in stark contrast with the cricket-mad Jamaica, where former wicketkeeper Jackie Hendricks eased Rahul Dravid's men through immigration.

Coach Greg Chappell, who cased out the ground in the afternoon, told The Hindu that Yuvraj was expected to join his mates "either late tomorrow or Tuesday" depending on the doctors and the schedule of flights.

"We're monitoring him closely and with the amount of cricket coming up, it's in his best interest that we don't rush him. Obviously we'd like for him to be fit and play," the coach said.

What did the Australian batting legend think of the Oval, which bears a certain similarity with a slightly more famous one in Adelaide?

It even has the same curator: Les Burdett. "It looks a good ground for a competition of this kind. The pitches, we're told should have a few runs in them. Let's hope for the best," the coach added.

Impressive towers

Not quite the gushing "six strips on the square, four turf practice wickets, three synthetic practice wickets, Darwin clay" that Vallipuram volunteered. But, close enough. And the four light towers, which he claims beams out 2000 lux on the playing area described by the 30-yard ring — 500 more than the minimum ICC stipulation — are impressive.

The towers are also embodiments of the monetary chutzpah the BCCI is eminently capable of. Erected at a cost of $465,000 — most of it from its coffers — the lights will in turn fetch a profit the marketing committee reportedly estimated at between $21-22 million from the series.

Vallipuram views the light towers as a legacy. "The goal was to win the bid for the tri-series. Initially, we were scheduled to hold only four games. When the BCCI said we'd do all seven, the pressure was on us. But, this is important for us. Creating awareness and brand building is the way to go for the game here. The lights will help development too," he added.

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