Malaysia: Carlsberg Interstate National League in full flight

Narrowly failing to meet our twin targets in 2001 of advancing to the second round of the ICC tournament in Toronto and qualifying for the Junior World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand, prompted the Malaysian Cricket Association to look at our domestic competition.

One of the problems identified was that players were not getting enough tough competition in the local tournaments. A revamp was considered and the U-19 Inter-State was to be run on a two innings format over two days while the Carlsberg Inter State competition is to be an all-State affair involving all of the top players in the country. A further innovation is the inclusion of Singapore, Malaysian Malays and TNB to compete with the North Zone and South Zone in the Super Cup and Super League tournaments.

The Carlsberg Inter-State National 2002 League which comprises, Johore, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak, Penang and Sarawak commenced on the 16th of March with the East Malaysian State of Sarawak taking on Selangor.

In the first match on March 16 between Sarawak and Selangor at College Tuanku Jaafar, Mantin, batting first Selangor made 243 for 8 wickets in the allocated 50 overs. Captain Ranjit Rajah struck 55 not out, with Mahesh S. Rajah contributing 41 to what looked like a very good total. Youngster Carl Franklin bowled extremely well to take 3 for 29 and Malaysian Off-Spinner, Chew Pok Cheong chipped in with 3 for 57.

Sarawak surpassed the score with only four balls to spare, thanks to Player/Coach V. Vijayalingam who guided them to victory by two wickets. National U-19 opener Gordon Chung batted very well for his score of 62. Chew Pok Cheong capped a good all round performance contributing 31 with the bat. Naresh Raman 2/26 and Paul Britto 2/49 were the main wicket takers for Selangor, but it was not enough was Sarawak beat Selangor by 2 wickets.

The same teams backed up the next day at Selangor Turf Club.

Whether it was the change to turf wicket or the scenic surrounding of the Selangor Turf Club, (this ground is encircled by a race track, where on the race days one could see crowds of up to 40,000) runs were certainly hard to come by. Batting first again Selangor could only muster 105 all out in 39.2 overs, Sheikh Rohan scoring 20. Chew Pok Cheong 3/11 and Vijayalingam 2/6 came off with the best figures.

Sarawak made heavy weather, however and only managed to overhaul the total with two wickets to spare. National opener Rakesh Madhavan's score of 25 and Gordon Chung's 24 no doubt helped ease the tension. Paul Britto 3/12, Satiswaran 3/30 and Sheikh Rohan 2/10 kept a tight leash on the Sarawak team and made them fight hard for their two wicket victory.

On March 19, Perak played Sarawak at the Kilat Club, Ipoh on an artificial wicket. Sarawak earned its second win of the tournament, by five wickets.

Batting first Perak scored 167 for 9 in 50 overs. Youngsters Gopinath and Mohd. Anuar (both left handers) contributed 35 and 30 respectively. Peter Chung bowled his off cutters brilliantly to claim 4-26, brother Gordon took 2/37 and Azrol Bujang 2/23 to keep Perak in check. Sarawak passed the score for the fall of five wickets in 35.1 overs, thanks to a quick fine 66 from Rakesh Madhavan and 40 from Jarod Lopez. Left arm spinner K. Sathiaseelan and national paceman Muniandy return figures of 2/32 and 2/35 respectively.

The second match between the two teams at the same venue the next day saw a closer affair, with Sarawak getting home by 12 runs.

Batting first Sarawak were skilled for 97 thanks to a brilliant spell of spin bowling by K. Sathiaseelan who took 5 wickets conceding only 8 runs. Only Rakesh made any impression with a fine 54. Perak however were all out for 85 in 44.1 overs with only Muniandy scoring 25. Wickets were shared with two each by Chew Pok Cheong, Rakesh, Vijayalingam and Carl Franklin.

Sarawak continued its winning form on March 22 against Penang at the Penang Sports Club, Penang, winning by eight wickets.

Due to overnight rain and the subsequent delayed start this match was reduced to 30 overs. This did not stop Rakesh scoring the first 100 of the competition. He ended with 107 not out - a fantastic effort given the circumstances. Gordon also continued his good form and contributed 60 to the team total of 21 for 2. Penang in turn scored 102 for 7 with only national player M. Krishnamurthy scoring with 23. Newcomer Azman Kiram 3/23 and Peter Chung 2/10 bowled best for Sarawak.

It was exactly the same result the next day at the same venue.

Penang taking first strike were all out for 118 in 35.3 overs. Rohit 29 and M. Krishnamurthy 26 being the main run scorers. Vijayalingam 4/17 and Azman Kiram 4/31 caused the most damaged. Sarawak easily passed the score in 24 overs with Rakesh once again scoring a fluent 66 not out.

In the seventh match of the tournament on March 23, Selangor played Kuala Lumpur at STC , Sungei Besi, with Kuala Lumpur winning by 49 runs.

Batting first KL were all out for 196 in 45.2 overs, ex-International Suresh Menon contributed a cavalier 60, but it was the 16 year old wicket keeper, Rosman Zakaria, who stole the show, his mature and measured innings of 46 was what really put KL back on track for a reasonable total. (This youngster from the Bukit Jalil sports school is really maturing fast and it wouldn't surprise many if he gets a national call-up soon. He has already represented Malaysia in the recent U-19 Tuanku Ja'afar Tournament in KL). Best bowling for Selangor was by another youngster, off spinner S. Sathiswaran who had figures of 2 for 35.

Selangor were all out for 147 in 41.1 overs no one going on to make a big score despite decent starts. Ranjit Raja - 32, Satiswaran - 21, and Paul Britto - 20 were ones who had a start. KL impressed with their bowling and fielding and once again youngsters in the form of Mohd. Shukri, Nor Ikhwan and Shaun Selvaratnam came to the fore with their bowling. Shukri, another product of the Bukit Jalil School, is a 16 year old with a good head on his shoulders - he bowls his off spin with a lot of control and guile as evidenced by his figures of 3 for 19. (Another surely to break into the senior national team soon. Amazingly he hails from the State of Kelantan where very little organized Cricket is played.) Nor Ikhwan and Shaun took two wickets apiece for 19 and 30 respectively. Both played in the recent Stan Nagaiah trophy in Singapore. Shaun is the younger brother of national skipper Rohan who are sons of the double international and hon. Secretary of the Malaysian Cricket Association - the irrepressible Karu Selvaratnam.

Match eight at STC Sungei Besi on March 24 saw an increased margin for KL against the same opposition, winning by 182 runs.

Batting first once again, Kuala Lumpur scored a massive 274 for 8 in their 50 overs. Sharani Ahmad who is in the national squad made 51, with Rosman again chipping in with 32, while brothers Rohan and Shaun had identical 30's, Shaun remaining not out. Joshua Madhavan took 3 wickets at the high cost of 73 runs.

In reply Selangor were skittled for 92, national off spinner Rohan Vishnu Suppiah claiming 5-10 in an inspiring spell while Shaun took 3 for 15. Only former U-19 player Naresh Raman stood firm with 33 runs to his credit.