The Tuanku Ja'afar Cup was a
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
tournament contested by the national sides of
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. It is named in honour of the late
Tuanku Jaafar
Tuanku Ja’afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman ( Jawi: ; 19 July 1922 – 27 December 2008) was Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 1967 until his death in 2008, and the tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from 1994 ...
, the former
Yang di-Pertuan Besar
In Malay, Yang di-Pertuan Besar or Yamtuan Besar literally ''"He Who Is Made Chief Ruler"'', is a title given to the head of state in parts of the Malay Archipelago.
In Malaysia
* Also known as Yamtuan Besar, it is the title of the elected mon ...
of
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...
and
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...
(King of Malaysia) between 1994 and 1999.
[Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sports Books Publishing, 2006]
History
The tournament was first played in 1991, not involving Thailand, to help the other three countries prepare for the
ICC Trophy
The Cricket World Cup Qualifier (previously called the ICC Trophy and officially known as the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier) is a One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that serves as the culmination of the qualification pro ...
. Thailand joined the competition in the second year, and the four teams played annually until 2004, with Thailand missing in 1998 and 1999, when just three teams played, and 2002, when they were replaced by Hong Kong A. Hong Kong have won the tournament the most times, winning nine of the 14 tournaments played. Malaysia have won four times, whilst Singapore have won just once.
1991 tournament
The first Tuanku Ja'afar Cup was played on a league basis with no final. Hong Kong won the tournament, with Singapore as runners-up.
1992 tournament
The second Tuanku Ja'afar Cup saw Thailand play for the first time. Hong Kong were again the winners, with Malaysia runners-up this time.
1993 tournament
The 1993 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup was the last to be played without a final. Hong Kong won the third consecutive time. Singapore were runners-up.
1994 tournament
The 1994 tournament was the first to have a final after the initial league phase. Hong Kong and Singapore topped the table after the group stage, and with Hong Kong unbeaten on home turf and with a 107 run win over Singapore under their belts, they were favourites to lift the cup, but Singapore triumphed in the final by two wickets.
Final result
1995 tournament
The 1995 tournament was won by Malaysia for the first time. They beat Hong Kong in the final.
1996 tournament
The tournament was held in Singapore for the second time in 1996, with Hong Kong beating the hosts by 20 runs in the final. Malaysia finished third and Thailand finished last. The tournament saw some record performances in the match between Hong Kong and Thailand. Hong Kong scored 415/5, the highest team score in the history of the competition.
Riaz Farcy scored 178 in that match, the highest individual score in the history of the competition.
Final result
1997 tournament
The 1997 tournament was won by Malaysia for the second time. They beat Singapore in the final. This was the first tournament in which Hong Kong didn't finish in the top two.
1998 tournament
Thailand did not participate in the 1998 tournament, with their place taken by a HKCA President's XI. Hong Kong won on home soil, beating Singapore in the final. The KJCA President's XI finished third, with Malaysia in last place.
Final result
1999 tournament
The 1999 tournament in
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
was one affected by rain. The first round match between Hong Kong and Malaysia was completely abandoned, and the other two matches were both reduced. The final was washed out in Hong Kong's innings against Malaysia. Hong Kong were awarded the title as they were top of the group stage. Thailand were again absent, but they were not replaced this time.
2000 tournament
The 2000 tournament was held in Singapore, and Thailand played for the first time since 1997. Malaysia won the tournament, beating Hong Kong in the final. Singapore finished third and Thailand finished last.
Final result
2001 tournament
Like the 1999 tournament, the 2001 tournament in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
was heavily affected by the rain. Hong Kong won the tournament despite only playing one match, due to a superior net run rate in the opening round of matches, which was the only one completed.
2002 tournament
The 2002 tournament was hosted and won by Hong Kong, who beat Singapore in the final. Thailand withdrew from the tournament, and were replaced by Hong Kong A. The Hong Kong A side did not participate in the tournament proper, playing unofficial matches against Malaysia and Singapore, though the match against Singapore was rained off.
Points table
Final result
2003 tournament
The 2003 tournament was held in Kuala Lumpur. Thailand returned after missing the 2002 tournament and Hong Kong won for the third consecutive year, beating Malaysia in the final.
Final result
2004 tournament
The final tournament was held in Singapore in May 2004. Malaysia won after beating Hong Kong in the final.
2004 tournament at HKCA website
/ref> With Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore having increasing international commitments in tournaments such as the ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament
The ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament was a three-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), contested between its top-ranking ICC associate members. It was played three times between 2004 and 2006, and then replaced by th ...
, ACC Twenty20 Cup
The ACC Twenty20 Cup was a 20-over cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The tournament did not include the ACC members who were full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) during the years in which it was ...
and ACC Trophy
The ACC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Open only to List of International Cricket Council members, associate and affiliate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), it was con ...
, it seems unlikely that the tournament will return to the schedules.
Final result
Records
*Highest team score: 415/5 by Hong Kong against Thailand, 1996Roy Lamsam
John Patrick Roy Lamsam (born 15 May 1980) is a Hong Kong cricketer who has played 8 One Day Internationals and four ICC Trophy matches between 1997 and 2008. He is a specialist batsman who has batted between five and eight in the batting order ...
for Hong Kong against Singapore, 2004
See also
*Saudara Cup
The Saudara Cup is an annual cricket match played between Malaysia and Singapore. It has been played since 1970, with the exception of 2013, when it was not held, and 2014, when the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Malaysia have won ...
– an annual three-day match played between Malaysia and Singapore
*Stan Nagaiah Trophy
The Stan Nagaiah Trophy is an annual series of one-day cricket matches played between Malaysia and Singapore. It has been played annually since 1995, and is named in honour of Stan Nagaiah, a cricketer
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, ba ...
– an annual series of one-day matches played between Malaysia and Singapore
*ACC Trophy
The ACC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Open only to List of International Cricket Council members, associate and affiliate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), it was con ...
– a biennial one-day tournament involving all national teams from Asia
*ACC Twenty20 Cup
The ACC Twenty20 Cup was a 20-over cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The tournament did not include the ACC members who were full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) during the years in which it was ...
– a biennial tournament, similar to the ACC Trophy but playing Twenty20
Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...
cricket.
* 2022 Malaysia Quadrangular Series
The 2022 Malaysia Quadrangular Series was a Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket tournament took place in Malaysia in July 2022. The participating teams were the hosts Malaysia along with Bhutan, Maldives and Thailand.
The Maldives squad trav ...
between Malaysia, Thailand, Bhutan and Maldives
References
{{reflist
Cricket in Malaysia
Cricket in Singapore
International cricket competitions
Recurring sporting events established in 1991
Recurring events disestablished in 2004