Sarawak cricket teams up for Sukma challenge

KUCHING: The Sarawak men’s cricket team are raring to have a go at the upcoming Malaysia Games (SUKMA), with their first game starting on Aug 13.

Men’s team manager Roslan Baharuddin noted their recent participation in the Pre-SUKMA T10 event in Johor, where Sarawak secured third place among six competing teams.

“The host team, Johor, was the strongest, yet we put up a convincing performance in that tournament.”

In a recent interview with New Sarawak Tribune, Roslan said that both the men and women’s cricket teams will be playing on a new cricket pitch during the upcoming SUKMA, a pitch that neither team has played on before.

“We will be playing on a new cricket pitch where none of the teams, including Sarawak, has ever set foot. We hope that once the new pitch is ready in two weeks, we will be fully prepared to utilise it effectively.”

Roslan expressed optimism that becoming familiar with the new pitch before the event would significantly benefit their performance.

“We will have a good understanding of how the pitch feels by then, which gives us an advantage. Hopefully, the pitch will be ready by Aug 1.”

Both the Sarawak men and women’s cricket teams will gain international exposure as they head to Sri Lanka for training.  

Roslan added that this opportunity would allow them to train alongside academy and renowned club teams in Sri Lanka, aiming to enhance their skills and boost team morale.

“Training with academy and top club teams in Sri Lanka will boost the players’ spirits and improve the quality of their game.”

Upon returning from Sri Lanka, Roslan expects the team’s game quality to rise even further.

“We will maintain the quality of training and experience gained because shortly after returning from Sri Lanka on July 31, the team will play their first game.”

He stressed on the importance of maintaining momentum, quality, and team spirit heading into their first game on Aug 13.

For the record, the cricket event for SUKMA will be from Aug 13 to 24, at the Petra Jaya Rugby and Cricket Field.