In a potentially fortuitous turn of luck the combination of an originally Ugandan-held tournament, the threat of ebola and some intransigence shown by the USA may very well play into Malaysia’s favour.
And yes, despite appearances this article is about cricket.
Malaysia started this year off languishing down in the depths of the ICC 5th Division, along with such luminaries of the game as Tanzania and Nigeria and the tax free nations of Jersey, Guernsey and the Cayman Islands.
In March at a home tournament (in the depths of the haze that periodically settles over South East Asia) Malaysia fought valiantly, and despite losing twice to Jersey (in the pools and the final) managed to finish in the top two and gain promotion to the fourth division.
They didn’t need to wait long, and again the next tournament was fortuitously just down the road in Singapore where they faced off in the 4th Division against Jersey again, as well as the might of Italy, Denmark, Singapore and Oman.
There were a number of very tight games including a six-run win over Italy that crucially allowed Malaysia to sneak into the top two again, where they improved on their pool form and pulled out a solid win over Singapore to come away with the trophy.
Which brings us to the 2014 ICC 3rd Division tournament, which was originally planned to be held in Uganda. However, after the outbreak of Ebola the majority of the US team (and one prominent Barbadan) threatened to withdraw from the tournament unless it was moved, and in a spectacular swoop, Malaysia has managed to pop up and suggest that the tourney be held in their backyard again.
So next week they’ll face off against substantially more challenging opposition, including the strong Nepali team, Uganda, the USA, Singapore and Bermuda. But the threads and elements of a fairytale are humming away in the background.
Malaysia will need to put a poor showing at the T20 Asian Games behind them, but if the home team manages to start strong against Singapore and pick up an upset or two then the fairytale march towards the 2018 World Cup might just continue rolling on.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
As Mitchell Starc left the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai with an Indian Premier League title and a player-of-the-final award, Australia grew a…
These young kids remind us why we play and love the game, and while it's filled with a comedy of errors the big smiles…
England and Durham fast bowler Brydon Carse has been banned from all cricket for three months for betting violations. The 28-year-old, who was called…
The T20 machine continues to churn away as we approach the start of the T20 World Cup just days after the conclusion of the…
Report from Trinidad and Tobago "Most of Australia hate me." Nearly five years ago, having taken his maiden Test five-wicket haul in the fifth…
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf delighted the English fans with his football skills in this boundary save.
