Winifred Duraisingam

Winifred Duraisingam

Personal information
Full name	Winifred Anne Duraisingam
Born	(1993-04-06) 6 April 1993 (age 31) Malaysia
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	All-rounder
International information
National side	Malaysia
T20I debut (cap 3)	3 June 2018 v India
Last T20I	24 July 2024 v Bangladesh
Career statistics
Competition WT20I Matches 70 Runs scored 1,065 Batting average 17.17 100s/50s 0/3 Top score 73 Balls bowled 1,205 Wickets 50 Bowling average 21.78 5 wickets in innings 0 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 3/9 Catches/stumpings 10/0
Source: ESPNCricinfo, 8 October 2024
Medal record Representing  Malaysia Women's Cricket Southeast Asian Games 2017 Kuala Lumpur Twenty20

Winifred Anne Duraisingam (born 6 April 1993) is a Malaysian cricketer^[1] and the current captain of the women's national cricket team.^[2] A right-handed all-rounder, she opens the batting, and is also an opening medium pace bowler.^[3]

Early life

Duraisingam started playing cricket when she was eight years old, in the backyard of her home and in the nearby streets. Her brother, Derek, played street cricket with other boys. One day, she asked them whether she could join in and bat. They refused, because she was a small girl, and they were scared she would get hurt. Her uncle, David, then offered to teach her how to bowl. Although she accepted that offer, she also considered batting to be more appealing. He therefore suggested a rule that anyone taking a wicket would be next to bat.^[2][4][5]

With the benefit of the bowling tuition, and practice, Duraisingam eventually renewed her request to join in with the street cricket. Surprised and impressed by her action and pace, the boys had no option but to relent.^[4] In 2021, Duraisingam told SpogoNews:

"It felt really fun when I started to bowl and take wickets. The boys ended up keeping quiet and felt shy because a girl was taking their wickets. From there onwards, I enjoyed bowling more and the fire to continue bowling kept increasing."^[2]

At the age of 13, and with her uncle's encouragement, Duraisingam began playing for the Kuala Langat Club, as the only girl in the team. Before long, while playing in an interclub tournament match for Kuala Langat against Royal Selangor Club, she took the wicket of a former captain of the Malaysia men's national team, Hector Durairatnam,^[2][4][5] who has been described as "Malaysian cricket's living treasure".^[6] After the match, Durairatnam approached her uncle and asked who was the "small boy" who had bowled against him. Her uncle replied, "that's my niece". Duraisingam was then invited to participate in a selection process for the national team.^[2][4][5]

Duraisingam was a fan of Australian bowler Brett Lee from an early age. Later, when she became more serious about her batting, she gained inspiration from Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka. She also credits her uncle for teaching her the game.^[4] She found the task of juggling cricket with her schooling a challenge, but says that she succeeded "... by God’s grace and of course my family's support."^[4]

Domestic career

In 2014, Duraisingam played a season of club cricket in Adelaide, Australia.^[4]

In July 2019, she participated in the MCA 3rd Womens T20 Championship, as a member of the Rmaf Tudm team.^[7] The following April, she played in the 4th Championship, for the same team (rebadged as the Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia team).^[8] On 29 April 2019, in her team's match against Negeri Sembilan, she took 4/3, to help the team to victory by nine wickets.^[9]

In December 2019/January 2020, Duraisingam led the Northern Queens team to victory in the Malaysian Super Women League (MSWL) tournament.^[10][11] In particular, she scored 61 runs, in an innings she considers to be her best ever, in the final against Eastern Lionesses.^[5][11]

In 2020, Duraisingam was one of the eight women who took the field in the Men's MCA T20 Super Series, which she has said gave her "... a new sight on how to become a better cricketer."^[2]

International career

2007–2014: Early years

Duraisingam first participated in national team selection matches, and represented Malaysia, in 2007, at the age of 14.^[2][4][5] That year, she was selected in both the U-19 and senior national teams.^[5] Initially, she played only as an opening bowler, a role she has continued to play. However, at the age of 15 she went to Australia for a training camp, watched how the female cricketers batted there, and was motivated to improve her batting skills. Since then, she has also batted in the middle order,^[4] and, more recently, in the top order.^[5]

In December 2008, Duraisingam was part of a Malaysian U-19 team that finished as runner-up in the ACC Under-19 Women's Championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand.^[5] The team defeated Hong Kong in the semi-final by two runs, but lost to Nepal in the final by seven wickets.^[12] In mid-2010, she was appointed as the U-19 captain.^[5]

2014–2021: Captain of amateur team

In 2014, Duraisingam became the captain of the national team.^[4] In 2017, she played in the Malaysian T20 Women Quadrangual Series, but did not captain the team.^[13] The other teams competing in the series were the national teams from Tanzania and Thailand, and a team representing the Sri Lanka Army. In the match against Sri Lanka Army, Duraisingam top scored with 36, but Sri Lanka Army won by seven wickets.^[14] In the match against Tanzania, which Malaysia won, she top scored with 45*.^[15] Malaysia finished third in the series, which was won by Sri Lanka Army.^[16]

In August 2017, Duraisingam captained Malaysia in the Women's twenty20 tournament at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.^[5] The tournament matches were held at Kinrara Oval in Selangor, Malaysia.^[17] During the tournament, Duraisingam batted at number three in the batting order, and top-scored in consecutive games, with 25* against Singapore and 23* against Thailand.^[5]

On 3 June 2018, Duraisingam made her Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) debut for, and also captained, Malaysia against India at the Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur, in the first match of the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup.^[18][19] The match was also Malaysia's first ever WT20I.^[20] Duraisingham later told Female Cricket that the tournament had been "a great learning experience" for the whole of her team.^[4]

In January 2019, Duraisingam was Malaysia's captain in the 2019 Thailand Women's T20 Smash in Bangkok, Thailand. On 16 January 2019, she led the team to its first ever WT20I victory, against China, by 6 wickets.^[21] Her highest score in the tournament was 56*, in a match against Thailand A that did not have full T20I status.^[22][23] The following month, she again captained Malaysia, in the 2019 ICC Women's Qualifier Asia, also held in Bangkok. In that tournament, she took nine wickets, the most for Malaysia, with a best performance of 3/10 against Hong Kong.^[24][25]

Duraisingam's and Malaysia's final WT20Is in 2019 were played against Singapore at the Indian Association Ground in Singapore, for the annual Saudari Cup. In that series, Duraisingam led her team to a 3–0 clean sweep.^[26] In the second and third matches of the series, she also top scored for Malaysia, and was player of the match, with 40* and 66*, respectively.^[27][28]

2021–present: Contracted player

In April 2021, Duraisingam was one of 15 players to be awarded a contract by the Malaysian Cricket Association, the first time female cricketers for the Malaysian team had been granted contracts.^[29] "Here on, there will be no time to relax," she told the ICC.^[30]

In November 2021, she was named as the captain of Malaysia's side for the 2021 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.^[31] She led Malaysia to fourth place in the tournament, with wins against Kuwait and Bhutan.^[32] Her best batting performance was 44 in 40 balls against Kuwait.^[18][33] Her best bowling figures, 2/15, were against Hong Kong,^[18] and included a double-wicket maiden in the first over of Hong Kong's innings.^[5]

Two months later, in January 2022, she was the home team's captain when Malaysia hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket Qualifier in Kuala Lumpur. During that tournament, she top scored for Malaysia with 42* in 54 balls in the team's loss to Sri Lanka.^[34][35] More importantly, in Malaysia's final match of the tournament, against Kenya, on what has been described as "... one of the biggest days in the history of Malaysian cricket ...",^[5] she led the team to an upset victory,^[36][37][38] an outcome that made the front pages of newspaper sport sections in Malaysia.^[5]

In September 2023, she was selected in Malaysia's 2023 Asian Games squad.^[39]

FairBreak career

In March 2022, Duraisingam was recruited by FairBreak Global to play in its privately-run 2022 FairBreak Invitational T20 in Dubai.^[40] She was allocated to the Tornadoes team.^[41]

References

1. "Winifred Duraisingam". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
2. "My goal is to make Malaysian cricket stronger and better - Winifred Duraisingam, captain of Malaysian Women's Cricket team". SpogoNews. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
3. "Winifred Anne Duraisingam". Cricket Malaysia. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
4. Yadav, Vishal (1 September 2018). "Interview with Captain of Malaysia Women's Cricket Team - Winifred Anne Duraisingam". Female Cricket. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
5. Dansinghani, Jay (13 May 2022). "'No! That's My Niece!': The Wini Duraisingam Story". All Over Cricket. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
6. "Hector Durairatnam: Malaysian cricket". Cricket Malaysia. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
7. "MCA 3RD WOMENS T20 CHAMPIONSHIP 2018: Rmaf Tudm Open Women 1st - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
8. "4th MCA WOMENS T20 CHAMPIONSHIP 2019: Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia Open Women 1st - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
9. "League: Negeri Sembilan Women vs Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia Open Women 1st - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
10. "Final: Eastern Lioness vs Northern Queens - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
11. Trish K (2 January 2020). "Cricketer Winifred Anne Duraisingam Leads Her Team To Victory". Varnam MY. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
12. "Nepal nail it". Asian Cricket Council. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
13. "MALAYSIAN T20 WOMEN QUADRANGULAR SERIES 2017: Malaysia W Open Women 1st - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
14. "League: Malaysia W Open Women 1st vs Sri Lanka Army Open Women 1st - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
15. "League: Tanzania Open Women 1st vs Malaysia W Open Women 1st - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
16. "MALAYSIAN T20 WOMEN QUADRANGULAR SERIES 2017: Points Table - Malaysian Cricket Association". www.cricketmalaysia.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
17. "KL 2017: Cricket". KL 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
18. "All-round records | Women's Twenty20 Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru". ESPNcricinfo.
19. "1st Match, Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup at Kuala Lumpur, Jun 3 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
20. Sampath (6 July 2018). "India and Pakistan earn big Women's T20I records post ICC's decision over Asia Cup". CricTracker. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
21. "Full Scorecard of China Wmn vs Mal Women Group A 2018/19 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
22. "Thailand Women's T20 Smash, 2018/19 - Malaysia Women Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
23. "Full Scorecard of Mal Women vs Thai A Women 7th Place Play-off 2018/19 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
24. "ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier, 2018/19 - Malaysia Women Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
25. "Full Scorecard of Mal Women vs HKG Women 19th Match 2018/19 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
26. "Saudari Cup, Saudari Cup 2019 score, Match schedules, fixtures, points table, results, news". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
27. "Full Scorecard of Spore Women vs Mal Women 2nd T20I 2019 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
28. "Full Scorecard of Mal Women vs Spore Women 3rd T20I 2019 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
29. "Malaysia award contracts to women's national team". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
30. Emerging Cricket (3 May 2022). "Global Game:Fifteen Malaysian women turn pro with new contracts". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
31. "Malaysia Women team to tour Sri Lanka to prepare for T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers". Czarsportz. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
32. "ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier 2021/22 Table, Matches, win, loss, points for ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
33. "Full Scorecard of Mal Women vs Kuwait Women 5th Match 2021/22 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
34. "Full Scorecard of SL Women vs Mal Women 7th Match 2021/22 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
35. "Scotland, Sri Lanka register impressive wins in ICC Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022". True Scoop News. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
36. "Full Scorecard of Kenya Women vs Mal Women 9th Match 2021/22 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
37. "Malaysian belles stun Kenya in Commonwealth qualifier". Sportimes. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
38. Singh, Devinder (26 January 2022). "Sri Lanka ladies book Birmingham ticket". New Straits Times. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
39. "Hangzhou Bound! Our girls are prepping for an epic match against Hong Kong, China in the Asian Games on September 19th". Malaysian Cricket Association. Retrieved 2 November 2023 – via Facebook.
40. "WINIFRED DURAISINGAM INVITED TO PLAY IN THE INAUGURAL FAIRBREAK INVITATIONAL T20 - BRINGING GENDER EQUALITY IN CRICKET TO THE FOREFRONT". cricclubs.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
41. "Stafanie Taylor to Captain Team Tornadoes at SDG Fairbreak T20 in Dubai". Fairbreak. April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.

External links

• Winifred Duraisingam at ESPNcricinfo