KUALA LUMPUR: After a pair of successes in T20 cricket, the national men's team will embark on making the same impact in the longer form of the game when the Challenge League A is held from July 27 to Aug 6 in King City, Canada.
Malaysia have plenty of ground to make up in the 50-overs league after losing four matches in a row following an opening win over Denmark in the first round in September, 2019, to sit fifth in the six-team table with two points.
The league, part of the 2023 World Cup qualifying pathway, has been on hiatus for almost three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic following the first round in Kuala Lumpur, with Canada and Singapore leading the standings with eight points each.
It was also the last time Malaysia played a 50-overs List A international match.
The second round begins with a match against Vanuatu on July 28 before facing hosts Canada (July 31), Singapore (Aug 2), Denmark (Aug 5) and Qatar (Aug 6).
Malaysia are scheduled to host the third round on Dec 1-14 with only one team advancing to the World Cup qualifier playoff.
Fresh from becoming the first Malaysian to surpass 1,000 runs in T20I cricket at the Quadrangular Series, which Malaysia won last week, Virandeep Singh is excited by the different skillset that one-day cricket requires.
"As a team, we want to stick to playing attacking and positive cricket, but of course, it's a change of format and requires a bit more temperament and patience," said opening batsman, part-time spinner and occasional wicketkeeper Virandeep.
"At the same time, we want to bat positively and score runs, like 300 has to be on the board. We've played some matches, but we've got a few days to go and a few practice games before the tournament, so I'm looking forward to that."
Syed Aziz Syed Mubarak joined Virandeep in the 1,000-run club in T20I cricket, which should give captain Ahmad Faiz Mohammed Noor an embarrassment of riches when it came to batting options.
"It's a great opportunity for everyone to play their best," said Faiz, who also captained the side to a 2-1 series win over Singapore to regain the Saudara Cup just before the Quadrangular Series.
"We're always looking forward to playing in any format. We're prepared after playing so many games. It's just a matter of taking it a ball at a time. I think our boys will do better in Canada."
The 14-man team will leave tomorrow with only seven players surviving from the first round three years ago, including Faiz, Virandeep, Syed Aziz, M. Dhivendran, Pavandeep Singh, Syahadat Ramli and Anwar Rahman.
THE SQUAD: Ahmad Faiz Mohammed Noor (captain), Virandeep Singh, M. Dhivendran, Anwar Rahman, Syed Aziz Syed Mubarak, M. Sharvin, Anool Hafizs Yatim, Pavandeep Singh, Saifullah Malik, Amir Azim Shukor, S. Vijay Unni, Wafiq Irfan Zarbani, Syahadat Ramli, Khizar Hayat Durrani.