Cricket makes debut in Asian Games

Bemused fans, low turnout in sport’s first match.

GUANGZHOU: Hosts China crushed Malaysia by 55 runs with an all-round team display in the first official cricket match ever staged on Chinese soil.

China scored 116 for six in their 20 overs in the women’s Twenty20 match after winning the toss and electing to bat. Malaysia never threatened to reach their target in front of a disappointingly sparse crowd at the 4,800-capacity Guanggong Cricket Stadium. The visitors struggled to a total of 61 for eight before losing the match.

But even as China’s women beamed in glory, the future of the game hung in the balance. Asian cricket chiefs say the game is making major strides in China but spectators had mixed views.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2010.