Big announcement by Malaysian Cricket Association, Dave Whatmore gets important responsibility

Malaysian Cricket Association: The Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) has announced major changes to its coaching and development programmes. Along with this, a National Cricket Center will also be opened as part of the strategy to promote the development of the game in the next 10 years.

A key part of this new plan is the increased role of Dave Whatmore, who will now hold both the roles of Director of Cricket and Head Coach of the senior men’s team. The change aims to create better coordination across the national system, including performance management, analytics and player development pathways.

What did Whatmore say?

Whatmore stressed the need for a united approach across different age groups to develop the country’s cricket identity. Whatmore said, “Malaysia has tremendous natural potential and a true desire to move forward. The key thing now is coordination, making sure that from the Under-19s all the way through to the senior team, we operate under the same clear playing identity and performance philosophy. My focus will be on increasing the depth of the team, raising the level of readiness, and creating a high-performance environment that can consistently compete in Asia and beyond over the next decade.”

Change in coaching setup

This change includes many important appointments, in which former national players have been given important coaching positions. Rakesh Madhavan will oversee the senior women’s team, while Thushara Prabhat Kodikara will look after the under-19 women’s programme. M. muniandi Men’s ‘A’ Will retain his post as team coach.

National Cricket Center will be built in Biomass Oval

The main focus of this initiative is the establishment of the MCA National Cricket Center at the Biomass Oval. It is designed to be a year-round high-performance facility and a central hub for talent development. Bilal Asad has been appointed the head of this centre. They will work closely with regional organizations to ensure common standards and build on existing ‘Centres of Excellence’ The mutual bond between can be strengthened.

MCA President’s aim is to build a strong foundation

MCA President Mahinda Vallipuram said the initiative aims to create a sustainable and strong framework for cricket. He said, ‘With many Asian Games, South East Asian Games, ICC Cycle and Olympic Games in the next decade, it is very important to strengthen our foundation. We are not creating anything new, but are moving ourselves forward by learning from the leading full member countries. Our goal is clear, to strengthen the system, improve the structure and move forward together.”

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The move comes after Malaysia successfully hosted the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025, the final of which was played at the Beaumas Oval. This restructuring reflects the Board’s intention to leverage this positive environment to build a strong talent pipeline for future international success.