History of Malaysia Cricket

• The history of cricket in Malaysia will be incomplete without associating the game with the Royal Selangor Club. Founded in 1884 by a group of British planters, the club and the huge padang (field) in front of it, has been the venue for almost all the important matches ever played in Malaya and Malaysia.
   
• Until the padang became Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) in 1987, the club was a must for all visiting teams.
   
• There are no records as to when the game was actually played in Malaya, but the assumption is that it could have been between 1884 and 1886.
   
• During this period, the acting Resident of Selangor made attempts to improve the Padang and construct a cricket pitch.
   
• Selangor's first match appears to have been against Malacca in 1887 and two years later, the Perak-Selangor series was inaugurated followed by the Selangor Singapore series in 1891.
   
• The first century scored on the Padang was in 1899 when C. Glassford made 101 for the Lake Club versus the rest.
   
• The double century came the following year. Dr Lucy playing a friendly match scored 212 not out.
   
• But it was not until some 20 years later that Malaya made history.
   
• On June 6, 1927 Malaya beat Australia by 39 runs. The Cricketer magazine dated July 23 1927 states:
   
  "The home side's fielding was excellent and N J A Foster's management of his team left nothing to be desired. It was the greatest day in Malayan cricket history."
   
• The Eighties saw the laterite pitches meant for cricket making way for more popular spectator sports like soccer and hockey. But a charged-up enthusiastic team took over the administration of the game in 1990.
   
• Ever since, there has been no turning back. The successful staging of the inaugural Super 8s was icing on the cake for all the hard work. Now the Pepsi-ACC Trophy, the ICC Trophy, the Commonwealth Games, and by the year 2020, Malaysia hopes to get Test status. It can be done. Malaysia Boleh!