Stories on Malaysian Cricket

I received this e-mail from someone who has now settled outside Malaysia and he has provided some insights of some "happenings" with regard to some cricket pitches. His story follows:

"I have been following your blog site and find that you are giving much focus on hockey and cricket in Malaysia of which I have played to a certain level while back in Johor. Although I have settled down elsewhere, my heart still yearn for the progress of both sports in Malaysia but alas from what I have been reading in your site, it seems to be the other way round.
Anyway I hope you could kindly check out what is happening to the cricket oval at the Temenggong Ibrahim Teachers Training Institute (MPTI) at Johor Bahru after so much money has been pumped in building the pitch for the recently concluded ICC U19 (Junior World Cup). Check out the MCA's website report http://www.malaysiacricket.com/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?id=1091&nav_cat_id=219&nav_top_id=78

It's fast becoming another wasted project as no cricket is played there with the latest under 17 carnival being held elsewhere in JB. I was informed by (deleted) who was involved in the tournament. Also apparently the nets there have been dug up and converted into a golf driving range.

Please highlight this malice as I do not wish to see history repeats itself as in what happened to the PKNS ground in Kelana Jaya. After so much money and effort invested in staging the final between South Africa and Australia during the 1998 Commonwealth Games, which incidently was the last cricket match ever played on that ground before the owners decided to convert it into a 'billiard table top' football pitch, thanks to cricket, just like the saying "Lembu punya susu, sapi punya nama".

Lets hope commonsense will prevail and the authorities and interested parties whose faces featured prominently in the MCA website's article wil fulfill their pledges. It will be such a waste as not only the sport will suffer with another world class facility down the drain but imagine how many physical education teachers could have at least learn the sport and spread it to the children in schools."

This is something MCA may want to look and safeguard the interest of cricket.