Vanuatu took a 2-0 series lead over Malaysia with a 51-run win in the second Twenty20 International at the Kinrara Oval on Wednesday as Patric Matautaava scored a hundred for the visitors.
The match had been scheduled for Tuesday night but was postponed due to rain as Matautaava took advantage of the sunny conditions to hit nine fours and seven sixes off 52 balls to score 103 and lead Vanuatu to 188 for six.
Simpson Obed then took three wickets to restrict a young and inexperienced Malaysian team to 137 for seven as the home side fell to their second defeat in the five-match series after Sunday’s 17-run loss.
The defeat extended Malaysia’s winless run in the T20 format to five in a row and also comes on the heels of a 50-overs reverse against Vanuatu in last week’s World Cup Challenge League Group A campaign. It also meant Malaysia dropped one rung to 36th when the ICC men’s T20I ranking list was updated on Tuesday with Vanuatu moving up to 52nd.
The Malaysian selectors are using the series to give young players a taste of international action with Ainool Hafizs Yatim, 23, the latest to make his senior team debut, scoring 21. Syazrul Ezat Idrus also returned to international action for the first time in 12 months.
Syazrul took just six balls to make his mark with the wicket of opener Andrew Mansale for a duck but Matautaava came on to add 72 runs for the second wicket with Joshua Rasu before partnering Nalin Nipiko, who scored 43 off 28, for a 84-run stand.
Pavandeep Singh finally ousted Matautaava while Sharvin Muniandy bowled Nipiko to reduce Vanuatu to 159-5 but Jamal Vira’s unbeaten 19 took Vanuatu to a massive 188.
Malaysia began their reply poorly with Anwar Arudin, one of the few seniors in the team, out for a golden duck before Virandeep and Ainool Hafizs put on a 60-run stand. Virandeep, captaining the side for this series in the absence of Ahmad Faiz Mohammad Noor, was bowled by Williamsing Nalisa for 34 after Ainool Hafizs was also bowled by Jelany Chillia which left Malaysia at 65-3.
Ariff Jamaludeen added 28 runs off 22 balls while Nazril Rahman scored an unbeaten 24 but Malaysia were never close to the run-rate required to reach their target.
The third T20I will take place as scheduled on Wednesday evening at Kinrara.
BRIEF SCORES
Vanuatu 188-6 (Patric Matautaava 103, Nalin Nipiko 43, Sharvin Muniandy 2-26)
Malaysia 137-7 (Virandeep Singh 34, Ariff Jamaludeen 28, Nazril Rahman 24 not out, Ainool Hafizs 21, Simpson Obed 3-23)
Result: Vanuatu won by 51 runs