|
|
|
The Kinrara Academy Oval embraces the one-day razzmatazz
© Dileep Premachandran
|
|
Flanked by a mosque on one side and the highway on the other, the
picturesque Kinrara Oval is a welcome addition to the many venues that dot
modern-day cricket's landscape. After the space-age Sheik Zayed Stadium in
Abu Dhabi and the lovely Warner Park in Basseterre, it's Kinrara's turn to
bask in the debutante's spotlight. Unlike many of its utterly soulless
concrete counterparts, its gives off an impression of space and light,
surrounded by trees and with a few mini-pagoda-like constructions that
resemble the stands named after the Chappell brothers at the Adelaide
Oval.
The Adelaide connection doesn't quite end there either. Les Burdett, the
curator in Adelaide, has been entrusted with preparation of the pitches
here, and apart from the dodgy bounce that dismissed Ricky Ponting, he has
every reason to be pleased with his efforts. With the players seated on
plastic chairs beneath picnic umbrellas, the impression of a laid-back
outing in the country is further reinforced. The only thing that isn't
idyllic is the afternoon heat, and the humidity that makes you imagine
that you're locked into a sauna.
The Oval came into being in 2003, with a team from New Zealand helping out
with the turf, and there are now six strips that can be used. The four
floodlight towers took just four weeks to construct, and the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have invested the lion's share
of the US$465,000 spent on them. Sadly though, the whole purpose of the
exercise - the lofty aim of spreading cricket's message at non-traditional venues
- appears to have been defeated by the lack of public interest.
The capacity is only 4,000, but less than a few hundred turned out to
watch. The organisers can only hope that India's marquee names pull in the
substantial expatriate population in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Cricket
Association remain hopeful that this will become a frequent stop on the
calendar, but for that to happen, a few more bums on seats would be nice.
Web Feeds
