PHNOM PENH – Merely a day after checking into the final of 50-overs, the national men’s cricket squad now have another shot at securing a gold medal, this time in the Twenty20 (T20) event at the SEA Games here today.
The event held at AZ Group Cricket Oval saw the Malaysian side win against Thailand by eight wickets to top Group A and set up the gold medal tie against the Group B champion next week.
Malaysia, who won the toss and elected for fielding, raked in 114 runs in 12.3 overs while their opponent produced 113 runs in 20 overs.
Team captain Ahmad Faiz Mohamad Noor was delighted with today’s result, especially the brilliant show by Vijay Unni Suresh, Virandeep Singh, and Syed Aziz Syed Mubarak, despite their difficulties playing on an uneven field surface.
“Alhamdulillah, we had a positive result today, and I am very happy with the performance shown by Vijay Unni and Virandeep who both secured wickets while Syed Aziz managed 55 runs besides two run-outs throughout the game,” he said.
The national team bagged silver in the men’s T20 event the last time cricket was contested in the biennial Games back in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
Malaysia, the reigning champion in 50-overs, will defend their gold against Cambodia following a win against Thailand by seven wickets in the preliminary round.
Last Saturday, the home side booked their place in the gold medal match when they overcame Indonesia by 129 runs. – Bernama, May 4, 2023
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