KUCHING, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Kelantan made history when they beat Sarawak by 25 runs to clinch their first-ever Malaysia Games (SUKMA) T20 men’s cricket gold medal at the Petra Jaya Cricket & Rugby Ground here today.
Kelantan coach Ahmad Zahid Adnan praised his men for their high level of focus and strong determination to win the final.
“In my opinion, it was a very close fight because both teams showed very high commitment,” he said.
Kelantan skipper Amirul Asyraf Ayob was proud of the win, especially since the state cricket team did not take part in any national championships in the past two years.
“No one expected us to win because we have been in the wilderness but we trained diligently and played with a lot of patience in Kuching.
“The first time we competed in cricket in SUKMA was 15 years ago. This is a huge first win for us in domestic cricket, so it is very meaningful.
“What makes this game special in Kelantan is that our coach is a school teacher who trusts us and showed us how to play the game better,” said the 20-year-old.
Meanwhile, Selangor defeated Terengganu by 31 runs to clinch bronze.
In the women’s round-robin T10 competition, Selangor defeated Pahang by four wickets while Perak downed Sabah by 29 runs.
-- BERNAMA
