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The most impactful T20I performer: Who is Virandeep Singh? | The Express Tribune
The Malaysian all-rounder became the first cricketer to score 3,000 runs and take 100 wickets in T20Is
KARACHI:
Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh, former captain and flamboyant all-rounder’s goal is to transcend beyond the label of associate cricketer and his specialty is delivering impactful performances.
He recently became the first all-rounder to score 3,000 runs and take 100 wickets in T20Is. He has the most Player of the Match awards under his belt in the shortest format of the game with 22.
“The reality is, as an associate cricketer, those records don’t carry the same weight in the eyes of the world,” he lamented. “Cricket is cricket, no matter the level, but the value attached to performances is much lower for us,” said Singh during an exclusive interview.
The 26-year-old is also the fifth-fastest batter to reach 3,000 T20I runs, achieving the milestone in just 98 innings.
The wicket-keeper made history by becoming the youngest player to represent his country at the international level, at just 15 years of age. He transitioned from a bowler to a hard-hitting batter.
Still, he remains in the shadows, struggling to gain the recognition he deserves.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singh was introduced to cricket through his father, who had played the game in school.
Initially, more inclined toward football, he began playing cricket in primary school, following in his brother’s footsteps.
At just ten years old, he joined the Royal Selangor Club, getting his first taste of leather-ball cricket.
Although, he didn’t love the game at first, India’s triumph in the 2011 World Cup ignited his passion for cricket.
He dreamed of representing his own country on the world stage, from that point on.
Destined to play
His natural ability, hard work, and consistent performances set him on a remarkable journey and at 13, he was selected for the Malaysia U-16, at 14, he had made the Malaysia U-19 team, and at 15, he was selected for the senior team.
In age-group cricket, Singh delivered a series of impressive performances with both bat and ball, earning him a call-up to selection matches, which eventually landed him in the national team. The selection, however, came with a whirlwind of emotions and drama.
“Malaysia had a tour to Dubai for the ACC Premier Cup. I got called up for the selection games and scored a couple of fifties, which earned me a spot in the top 18 as a bowler. I was in the reserve four, not traveling with the team,” he recalled.
“Then, during training, one of my teammates twisted his ankle during a fitness drill, and I was told I’d be traveling with the team as his replacement. I was over the moon.”
But just as quickly, his excitement faded because another player was chosen in his place at the last moment.
Still, Singh refused to lose hope. Fate intervened again when one of the players was denied entry into the country, paving the way for his debut.
In his first outing, batting at number five, he scored 23 runs off 17 deliveries.
“I wasn’t really nervous,” he said. “It was easier because I was too young to think about the consequences. When you’re young, you’re fearless.”
Getting selected for the national team was just the beginning. In an age of fast-paced T20 cricket, Singh was a more traditional, steady batter, having played a few 20-over games at the junior level. He soon realized he needed to adapt to the demands of the modern game.
“My role back then was to bat for long periods and be the guy who finished games for the team. I played plenty of innings where I’d face over 100 balls and score barely 50 runs, which worked for the longer formats at that time,” he shared.
Malaysia’s status-change spelt new role for Singh
When Malaysia gained T20I status in 2019, everything changed. He knew scoring runs was not enough; creating impact was essential.
“Teams look for that quick-fire 40 off 20 balls, rather than run-a-ball 50,” he shared.
“This form of cricket didn’t come naturally to me. In the beginning, I struggled a lot. I even remember crying to my psychologist, saying,
‘I’m just not made for T20 cricket.’ I worked incredibly hard, spent hours with my coach, and even then, I wasn’t happy with my strike rate.
“I told myself that if I wanted to break into elite leagues and make a name for myself, I had to evolve and play a different brand of cricket.”
Singh’s evolution
Singh, a left-arm slow bowler, evolved his game and transformed himself into an explosive batter who could bowl handy overs at any stage of the game, the perfect recipe for a T20 all-rounder.
The Malaysian star admires Virat Kohli’s mental strength and AB de Villiers’ sheer skill, but his biggest inspiration is Australia’s power-hitter Tim David.
The Aussie, who previously played for Singapore, used the Pakistan Super League as a platform to catch the attention of Australia’s selectors.
“I really admire David because of the way he has transformed himself. I remember watching him play for Singapore early on, and now to see him evolve into such an explosive, in-demand batsman is incredible,” Singh said.
“There’s even a video of him absolutely smashing Malaysia in a game — he scored 90-odd in around 30 balls. I was the wicket-keeper that day, so I had the best seat in the house. Even though my bowlers were getting taken apart, I loved watching him bat. It was a special innings and a reminder of just how good he is.”
David’s story gives hope to Singh and many associate cricketers, though he acknowledges the vast difference in exposure and opportunity he got, having played his initial years of cricket in Australia. “I’d love to share a dressing room with him someday, there’s so much to learn from a player like David.”
Now, Singh has begun to gain international attention, earning contracts in global leagues such as GT20 Canada and the UAE’s ILT20, where he has shared the dressing room with stars like Marcus Stoinis, Sunil Narine, Mohammad Nabi, and Tim Southee.
But, he is not satisfied yet.
The Malaysian star wants his team to qualify for the coming editions of the T20 World Cup — a milestone he believes would transform cricket in Malaysia and put him and his teammates on the radar of top global leagues like the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League, and Caribbean Premier League.
“On a personal level, I want to break into more franchise leagues and build a career that allows me to retire comfortably after cricket,” he stated.
He calls on financially strong individuals and corporations to support cricket and other sports in Malaysia to give a platform to talented younger athletes to showcase their skills and make a career out of it.
Singh’s career reflects the larger story of associate cricket — where extraordinary performances often unfold beyond mainstream attention.
As he and Malaysia strive for greater recognition, their journey raises a simple question for the cricketing world: how many more talents like him are waiting to be seen?
Bournemouth and USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams is on the radar of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, while Bayern Munich have dismissed inquiries from a host of top clubs looking to sign winger Michael Olise. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool are monitoring the situation of Bournemouth and USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams, according to The Daily Mail. Adams, 27, has made three appearances in the Premier League since returning from injury in the 0-0 draw against West Ham last month, and it is reported that all three Premier League clubs are considering a move for him in the summer. An offer worth around £40 million could be enough to land him, but any deal isn’t expected to take place until after the FIFA World Cup.
– Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Liverpool have made contact with Bayern Munich regarding a €100 million move for winger Michael Olise, according to TEAMtalk. The Bundesliga side have reportedly dismissed inquiries to sign the 24-year-old from all three clubs, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also monitoring the situation, and Olise reportedly viewing LaLiga as a preferable destination. Meanwhile, Florian Plettenberg says that the Reds are set to change their focus to 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, who is seen as a more feasible signing at around €80 million. His impressive campaign of nine goals and five assists in 23 league matches has seen him linked with several teams across Europe.
– Bayern Munich are interested in Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen. Footmercato reports that the Bundesliga side have identified the 27-year-old as a potential future replacement for Harry Kane, 32, with manager Vincent Kompany having been impressed by his performances this season. It is reported that clubs in Saudi Arabia remain keen on Osimhen, who has scored 17 goals in 25 matches for the Lions across all competitions since joining them permanently from Napoli for a fee of €75 million in the summer.
– Barcelona are ready to step up their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven. Sport reports that scouts have been sent to watch the 24-year-old as the Blaugrana look to acquire a left-footed center back, who is seen as a potential alternative to Internazionale‘s Alessandro Bastoni. Van de Ven has continued to be linked with an exit from Spurs amid the club’s poor run of form in the Premier League — they currently sit four points above the relegation zone ahead of their match against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
– Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi is stalling on signing a new contract and hopes to join a team in the Premier League, according to Bild. It is reported that the 24-year-old’s representatives have requested the inclusion of a release clause into any potential new deal at Signal Iduna Park, but the Bundesliga club are losing patience after failing to make any progress in negotiations. Adeyemi, who has previously been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, will enter the final year of his deal in June.
EXPERT TAKE
1:38
Nicol: Some really bad decisions from Mo Salah
Steve Nicol bemoans Liverpool’s missed opportunities and decision-making in their 2-1 defeat to Wolves.
OTHER RUMORS
– Arsenal have been rebuffed over interest in Inter Milan forward Pio Esposito, 20. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League and Europe, as he is yet to agree to a new deal at Old Trafford. (Daily Mail)
– Manchester United are willing to offer captain Bruno Fernandes a contract worth £400,000-a-week to extend his stay at Old Trafford. (Daily Mirror)
– Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane remains on the shortlists of Liverpool and Manchester United. (TEAMtalk)
– Juventus are interested in Tottenham Hotspur striker Randal Kolo Muani. (Calciomercato)
– Manchester City are leading the race for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha. (TEAMtalk)
– Manchester United have no plans to part ways with midfielder Mason Mount amid interest from Aston Villa and Fulham. (Football Insider)
– Brentford midfielder Fabio Carvalho is set to be one of five players allowed to leave this summer. (iNews)
– Fulham midfielder Harry Wilson, 28, is being lined up for a free transfer by Aston Villa. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Boca Juniors have begun talks with the representatives of Roma forward Paulo Dybala amid hopes of signing him as a free agent in the summer. (Nicolo Schira)
– Internazionale, Napoli, and Juventus are looking at Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka, who remains on the radar of Arsenal. (Tuttosport)
– Juventus have made progress with striker Dusan Vlahovic regarding discussions over a potential new contract. (Tuttosport)
– Celtic and Brighton are among the teams looking at Sao Paulo and Paraguay international midfielder Damian Bobadilla. (TEAMtalk)
OXFORD, Ohio — Peter Suder scored 19 points, Antwone Woolfolk added 14 and No. 19 Miami (Ohio) closed to within a victory of a perfect regular season with a 74-72 win over Toledo on Tuesday night that extended the RedHawks’ season-opening winning streak to 30 games.
The RedHawks (17-0 Mid-American Conference) remain the only undefeated team in Division I men’s basketball. They’re only the fourth team in the past 35 years to start 30-0, joining 2013-14 Wichita State, 2014-15 Kentucky and 2020-21 Gonzaga.
With the victory, Miami claimed its first MAC regular-season title since 2004-05, extended the best start in program history and added to its school record for wins in a season. Miami also boasts the best start and longest win streak in MAC history.
Brant Byers added 13 points and Luke Skaljac chipped in 12 for the RedHawks, who extended their home winning streak to 31 games in front of a sellout crowd of 10,640 at Millett Hall. That home mark matches Duke for the longest in the nation.
Leroy Blyden Jr. led Toledo (16-4, 10-7) with 21 points and Sonny Wilson added 13.
Miami was coming off a 69-67 win over Western Kentucky on Friday night, when it needed a buzzer-beater from freshman Trey Perry. In Tuesday’s game, the RedHawks jumped out to an early double-digit lead against the Rockets and never trailed.
Toledo cut the deficit to one on four occasions and looked as though it would take the lead on an Austin Parks drive to the basket with nine minutes left, but Miami’s Eian Elmer stuffed him at the rim and hit a 3-pointer a few seconds later to push the lead back to four points.
The Rockets trailed by two points and had the ball with 13 seconds left but turned it over with less than a second to play. It was the RedHawks’ seventh game decided by three points or fewer, tied for the most to keep a perfect season alive since 1948-49.
The victory gave the RedHawks their first season sweep of Toledo since the 1996-97 season, and it ran their series winning streak to three in a row overall after losing 22 straight from 2012 to 2024.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
WOLVERHAMPTON, England — Arne Slot said Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday is a case of the “same old story” after his team conceded yet another late winner in the Premier League.
Wolves midfielder Andre secured the victory for the hosts with a deflected strike in the 94th minute at Molineux Stadium. It means Liverpool have now lost five games thanks to goals after the 90th minute this term; the most of any side in a single campaign in the competition’s history.
“How do I sum this up?” Slot said of his team’s ninth Premier League loss of the season. “Same old story. Recently, we are picking up points because we score many times from set-pieces, but what didn’t change in the last five, six seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create.
“Not as much as I would like from all the ball possession we have, but enough and far more than the other team. But the end result is we scored one and they scored two and another one in injury time so it sums up our season again.
“We have had far more possession than the other team, we have created more in open play in general than the other team, but have struggled to score from open play. Recently we have scored a lot from set-pieces. Again we had a lot of set-pieces, but in the first half were very poorly taken.
“I don’t think we played a very good first half, the second half was better, still not great, but better. We created more, and the just before injury time we were twice very close from chances to make it 2-1.
“Mo [Salah] was dribbling and had to the left and right two players open, but the ball was intercepted by their defender and there was the Virgil [van Dijk] header, and the one we conceded wasn’t even a chance.
“That has happened to us so many times this season. That it happened in injury time may be a coincidence, although it has happened so many times. We hardly gave away a chance today, we gave away one chance and conceded two.”
Liverpool’s latest defeat leaves them in fifth place, though they could drop to sixth if Chelsea beat Aston Villa at Villa Park on Wednesday.
Reflecting on whether the loss has impacted his team’s chances of Champions League qualification, Slot said: “It’s another setback and we didn’t help ourselves with this result, not at all. But there are still nine games to play. We are coming closer and closer to the end.
“Dropping points in a game where it’s absolutely not necessary. If you look at the run of play, I’m not saying we played great, but if we play this game in this fashion 10 times we don’t lose 10 times.
“It’s far from sure that we win every time, therefore we are not good enough. If we don’t have to rely on a deflected shot, we have to play better and do better. But we’ve had enough chances to win the game.
“But credit to Wolves as well. They fight from first second until the end and got maybe a bit of a luck they deserve when you look at how much they put in throughout the whole game.”
Transfer rumors, news: Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool eye USMNT star Adams
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