KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) has appointed former national captain, Suresh Navaratnam as the new National men’s cricket team head coach.
Suresh said he was grateful for the opportunity given by the MCA to develop a unique style of cricket for the national team.
“The head coach plays a pivotal role between the players and the association, my vision for the team is one that rewards both hard work and innovation.
“The future is bright for Malaysian cricket, but we can’t rest on our previous success...yes, we are building on a strong foundation but there is more work to be done,” he said in a statement by MCA today.
With a playing career that spanned some 21 years, Suresh was one of the best all-rounders the country has ever produced before joining MCA as operation and administration manager from 1999 to 2002.
He then served as the Kinrara Cricket Academy & Stadium Operation and Academy Manager between 2004 and 2008 apart from being caretaker coach from September 2007 to April 2008.
Meanwhile, MCA President Mohammed Iqbal Ali Kassim Ali hopes Suresh’s existing relationship with many of the players will help in the transition as the latter had contributed much to cricket in Malaysia both on and off the field.
Mohammed Iqbal said the right leadership in the coaching team is critical to developing a sustainable culture of winning.
“There is no honeymoon period, on the immediate horizon is the ICC (International Cricket Council) Men’s Challenge League scheduled for February 2024. Now is the time for him to step up again in this key leadership position.
“Players are important, high performance is a complex matrix of factors. International cricket is a high-stakes game and the higher a nation moves up the rankings the greater the competition,” he added.
Recently, MCA had decided not to extend former national coach, Bilal Asad’s contract which ended on Nov 30.
The players were reported to be unhappy with such a move, leading to a boycott of the national selection match, also on Nov 30.
-- BERNAMA
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