Sarawak achieves milestone in cricket

KUCHING: The Sarawak T20 cricket team’s remarkable achievement in reaching the finals at the 21st Malaysia Games (SUKMA 2024) for the first time has been hailed as a historic milestone.

Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah praised the team’s progress, saying it reflects the substantial strides cricket has made in Sarawak.

“The cricket team has done well. Now they are fighting against Kelantan, a good chance, they could win the championship,” he said when met by reporters during the finals of the SUKMA 2024 T20 cricket match between Sarawak and Kelantan here today.

Earlier on Sunday, the Sarawak team advanced to the finals after defeating Terengganu, winning by 14 runs with six wickets in hand.

Abdul Karim also commended Sarawak’s taekwondo team, which surpassed expectations by winning 11 gold medals, exceeding their initial target of seven gold.

The minister said that the closing ceremony for SUKMA2024 will be held at Stadium Perpaduan, Petra Jaya, due to the reduced number of athletes from each contingent, as many would have already returned to their respective states.

“If I’m not mistaken, only 50 people from each contingent will attend the closing ceremony, compared to the 150 per contingent present at the opening ceremony,” he said.