KUALA LUMPUR – Former national cricket captain Virandeep Singh believes reserve days should be introduced at major tournaments after Malaysia’s Asian Games quarter-final match against Bangladesh was washed out, denying his side the opportunity to fight for a place in the semi-finals.
Malaysia were informed at their hotel that the 2pm quarter-final would not go ahead due to waterlogged conditions, with Bangladesh advancing based on their higher ranking.
Virandeep said the situation was particularly frustrating because the weather was sunny today, when no matches were scheduled.
“I do believe we should have some sort of a system where there are some reserve days,” he told Scoop.
He suggested organisers could consider reserve days or earlier starts to prevent teams from being eliminated without taking the field.
The washout was especially disappointing for Malaysia because opportunities to play against Test-playing nations are rare.
“We don’t get the opportunities to play against Test nations outside of these games.
“Only because of the Asian Games do we get to play. Like the last time we played against a Test nation was at the last Asian Games,” he said.
Malaysia had come within two runs of beating Bangladesh at the previous Asian Games, giving Virandeep confidence that his side could have challenged them again.
“We only lost by two runs. So if we had played maybe a similar game like that or even gotten close or even beaten them, things would have been very, very different,” he said.
Virandeep also felt Malaysia had an advantage from having already played on the wicket, where the conditions were different from those normally encountered by top teams.
“Here, the conditions are tougher. The ball spins more and stuff. And basically that’s our strength, bowling, the spinners and stuff,” he said.
For Malaysia’s players, however, matches against stronger opposition are about more than simply winning or losing.
Virandeep said such games were important for player development and could also provide Malaysian cricketers with opportunities to attract attention from overseas franchise leagues.
“If you play against better oppositions, that’s the only way you can improve as a cricketer,” he said.
“If you play well against these bigger teams, the whole world will notice you. And if the whole world notices you, that’s where you get opportunities to play in franchise leagues around the world.”
Malaysia will now turn their attention to the T20 World Cup qualifiers, which begin on October 6.
Virandeep said qualifying for the tournament would be a major boost for Malaysian cricket.
“If we can somehow make it to the T20 World Cup, that will change a lot of things for us,” he said.
He also welcomed the television exposure Malaysia received during the Asian Games, saying it had made a noticeable difference to the team’s visibility among local fans.
Despite the disappointment in Hangzhou, Virandeep said the team’s motivation remained unchanged.
He also shared a Facebook post yesterday saying he was at the hotel when he was informed that the quarter-final had been called off.
“Sad we couldn’t even make it to the ground. Waited 3 years for another opportunity to play against a Test nation but not meant to be I guess,” he wrote.
Malaysia had advanced to the quarter-finals after their opening match against Hong Kong, but their campaign ended without them taking the field against Bangladesh due to persistent rain. – September 30, 2026