The Learning Continues

The great thing about this Malaysian team is that while they are often on the wrong side of the ledger in these tournaments they never give up. The were definitely some key takeaway from the Asia Cup, aside from being yet another learning experience for the team, that being the team’s unbridled enthusiasm and the bowling of Sasha Azmi.

Results

Not a single win for the Malaysian team but given their ranking this was not surprising, especially given the company in this tournament.

• Malaysia v Pakistan (Pakistan b 9 wickets)
• India v Malaysia (India by 30 runs D/L)
• Malaysia v UAE (UAE by 7 wickets)
• Bangladesh v Malaysia (Bangladesh by 88 runs)
• Malaysia v Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka by 72 runs)
• Malaysia v Thailand (Thailand by 50 runs)

Batting

It was a lean tournament for most of the batters with Sydney teenager Elsa Hunter topping the run scorers with 80 but it is difficult to find many positives in a team where no batter scored over 100 runs. Missing in action were key key batters Mas Elysa and skipper Winifred Duraisingam. Of course, one does not want to be too harsh on a team of batters not used to the class of bowling on offer here.

Bowling

Sasha Azmi was one of the best bowlers of the tournament and against some high class opposition her medium pace bowling was accurate and economical. Her four over spells were neat and tidy in every game and to finish with an economy of just 4.12 speaks volumes. That’s an excellent performance from someone who bowled far and away the most deliveries for her team.

Fielding

A mix of brilliance and some lamentable efforts in the field. I thought Aina Rahman had a good series behind the stumps despite some minor lapses.

The lack of catches taken taken by the team here is less a reflection of the fielding and more of the lack of chances on offer.

Summary

As mentioned above, just another step in the journey of this team’s path to success. They certainly do not lack enthusiasm and effort. This difficult tournament is probably of greater value than others played earlier in the year in terms of education.