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Kinrara Oval in Malaysia under closure threat

Representatives from the Malaysian Cricket Association met with the sports minister last week to present their case.

The Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malayisa. Photo: Malaysia Cricket
The Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malayisa. Photo: Malaysia Cricket

The Kinrara Oval, Malaysia’s cricket stadium in Kuala Lumpur, which has been witness to Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 141 against the West Indies in an ODI in September 2006, besides hosting number of legends from the game, is on the verge of being raised to the ground after the property developer has threatened the sport’s local governing body to vacate the premises.

According to a report in AFP on Monday, the Kinrara Oval which was built in 2003, was on lease to the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA), who will have to leave as the property developers are planning another project at the venue.

“It will be a sad day if we lose the Kinrara Oval,” MCA’s group’s secretary Mohammed Iqbal Ali Kassim was quoted as saying in the report.

“It is a world class, iconic pitch. We want the ground to remain the home of Malaysian cricket.”

The Malaysia Cricket Association received the backing from the International Cricket Council (ICC) as well. “Cricket in Malaysia is flourishing with the number of players in all age groups growing and we are hopeful a sustainable solution can be found,” ICC CEO David Richardson said at its Board and Committee meeting over the weekend held at Singapore.

“The ICC will continue to support Malaysia Cricket and hopes the Kinrara Oval will remain an international cricket venue.”

Currently, the Pakistan’s women’s team is engaged in an ODI series with the Australian women’s team.

Representatives from the Malaysian Cricket Association met with the sports minister last week to save the venue. A letter has also been sent to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. “We have been engaging with the developer for a long, long time,” Kassim said.

“We had hoped it could be resolved behind closed doors.”

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