The landowner, Perumahan Kinrara Berhad (PKB), had ordered the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) to vacate the more than three-hectare site due to arrears of more than RM1.8 million in assessment fees.
PKB had paid the assessment fee, believed to be about RM200,000 annually, for several years to the Selangor government after MCA had failed to do so.
The company obtained an order from the Shah Alam High Court on March 17 to auction various items belonging to MCA as the first step towards recovering its money.
The asset sale tomorrow, ranging from tractors, machinery, gym fixtures, canteen and kitchen equipment and office furnishings, is targeted to raise about RM400,000.
MCA occupied Kinrara Oval in 2003 and signed a 15-year lease agreement with PKB, a joint venture company between I&P Group Sdn Bhd, Armed Forces Fund Board, and pilgrims’ fund, Lembaga Tabung Haji.
In 2019, the home of Malaysian cricket was saved from closure after the government blocked an attempt by PKB to oust MCA from the facility.
The then youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had said the “Cabinet decided that saving the cricket ground is more important than commercial development”.
MCA was granted a two-year extension on the lease with a reminder that use of the land, from the beginning, was only temporary as it had always been earmarked for development.
PKB, a subsidiary of property development company I&P Group Sdn Bhd – wholly-owned by SP Setia Bhd – had long wanted the prime land, west of Kuala Lumpur, for a commercial project.
“Why didn’t MCA find their own permanent home for their operations despite being given ample notice by the landowner?” asked a former national cricketer and MCA official who requested anonymity.
He said many in the cricket fraternity felt it was embarrassing that MCA was reluctant to return the land to the rightful owner for development purposes upon expiry of the lease agreement.
MCA’s setback over the loss of Kinrara Oval has drawn criticism, with many alleging politicking in the association and casting doubts on its ability to take Malaysian cricket forward. They say Malaysian cricket is in crisis.
In response, MCA president Mohammed Iqbal Ali Kassim Ali told FMT the broader cricket fraternity was “very much aware of the situation”.
“Following the annual general meeting over the weekend, they have given their full support to the MCA and the current exco to continue the work of dealing with all stakeholders on matters relating to Kinrara Oval.
“The Cabinet decision as reported by Bernama on Feb 15, 2019, stated the youth and sports ministry confirmed that the Cabinet had given special approval to the MCA to continue operations at Kinrara Oval.
“We are unaware of any Cabinet decision to the contrary and MCA has operated in good faith and with the understanding that the current government will continue to support the growth of the sporting community.”
Iqbal declined to comment on whether they had been offered an alternative place at Bayuemas Oval Cricket Stadium in Pandamaran, Klang.
Bayuemas had been home to the Malay Cricket Association of Malaysia until about 18 months ago when it moved out on its own accord to buy a bungalow in Ampang, naming it Rumah Kriket Melayu.
The association’s vice-president Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi said, in the interest of cricket, they were prepared to assist MCA to overcome its current troubles.
“I don’t think what is happening in MCA is due to mismanagement but unless there is proper leadership and politics is taken out of sports bodies such problems will persist,” he said.
Azim speaks with authority because his association has been rated as one of the best cricket development centres in Asia and its current financial secretary, Rosmanizam Abdullah, was the recipient of the National Sports Leadership Award in 2004.
Twelve of the 14 players in the ongoing tri-nations series in Nepal are from the Malay association’s academy and more juniors are coming through its development programmes.
Several ex-internationals and officials could not help talking about Kinrara Oval-related stories, each one adding a layer of character to the place.
The 4,000-capacity Kinrara Oval was where India’s batting icon Sachin Tendulkar scored a sparkling 141 against the West Indies in an one-day international in 2006. Two years later, a young Virat Kohli led India to the Under-19 World Cup title.
It has hosted one-day internationals featuring India, Australia and the West Indies, and also the Sea Games cricket competition in 2017, a medal sport for the first time.