CLOSE to 40 people from the cricket fraternity showed up at the Kinrara Oval in Puchong in a show of support after the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) was issued a notice to vacate the land by the end of this month.
This is because MCA's lease has expired.
Carrying placards with the words like "Save Kinrara Oval" and "Don't Kill The Game", local and foreign cricket-lovers wanted the status of Kinrara Oval to be maintained.
Asked how they felt upon hearing the news on Wednesday (Oct 3), they said they were shocked and in disbelief.
The social media space has been abuzz with reactions since Wednesday, both from local and international cricket players, as well as fans.
Many said they disagreed with what was being done and expressed support for MCA.
United for Cricket (UFC) team representative Mohamed Yusri Rauf, from Sri Lanka, said the Kinrara Oval had become the centre stage of cricket in South-East Asia and had hosted many international tournaments.
“Without the world class facilities here, you will not get international teams coming over for tournaments," he said.
Rauf stressed that the Kinrara Oval was a well-known cricket ground internationally, with many high-profile matches played here involving national teams from countries like Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka,
“As a part of the cricket fraternity, we know how much hard work MCA has put in to get things where they are," he said.
He feared that losing the grounds would have an effect on the the development of the sport in the country, as well as threaten Malaysia’s world ranking in cricket – 27th out of 95.
“This is the heart of cricket in Malaysia, and most of the national players grew up here. For most of the cricketers like us, it’s not just a ground, it is like a home for us," Rauf said.
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