Former Singapore cricketer and coach Arjun Menon dies in Malawi

Former national cricketer Arjun Menon (right) conducting a cricket awareness course for journalists in Malawi on May 5, 2021. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ARJUN MENON

SINGAPORE – As a player and later on a coach, former national cricketer Arjun Menon’s passion for the sport was always evident. The love for the game and an eagerness to spread that affection for cricket took him on a journey spanning four continents.

But it reached a tragic end on May 11 in East African country Malawi, where Menon, 48, has been the operations manager of Cricket Malawi since February 2020.

The Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) said in a Facebook post on May 11 that he had died earlier in the day.

When contacted, SCA president Mahmood Gaznavi said he was deeply saddened by the news, adding that “reports emerging from Malawi seem to indicate that his life was taken by very dubious people”.

In a Facebook post, Nation Publications Limited which owns The Nation, a Malawi-based newspaper, said reports had indicated Menon was attacked by thugs in Blantyre.

It added that Menon was instrumental in Malawi cricket’s recent international success that led to the sport grabbing three accolades at the Malawi Sport Awards.

Gaznavi said that he last spoke to Menon about three months ago and added that he was a “very, very down to earth and measured guy who had a lot of love for the game”.

Gaznavi was inspired by how Menon used his strengths to advance the sport overseas and impact people’s lives at the same time.

“He used his knowledge to advance what he thought was the larger purpose in life, which was to help not just those in cricket, but those outside of cricket, especially the underprivileged,” said Gaznavi.

Menon first took up the game while he was a student at St Patrick’s School and the talented wicketkeeper went on to represent Singapore at youth level. In 1996, he earned his first senior cap for the national team against the United Arab Emirates at the Asian Cricket Council Trophy.

He earned four more caps with the national team before completing his undergraduate studies in 2004 in Perth, Australia, where he moved into coaching. Menon then had a five-year stint with the SCA from 2015 to 2020 which saw him take on roles such as game development manager and head coach.

In 2017, he led the national cricket team to a Twenty20 gold medal at the SEA Games. It was the Republic’s first title in the sport, which was making its debut at the biennial regional meet in Kuala Lumpur.

In a previous interview with The Straits Times, Menon said it was “one of the proudest moments in my life singing Majulah Singapura as I watched our nation’s flag hoisted above the rest during the medal ceremony”.

Menon also had stints as a coach in Chile, Australia, India, Mozambique, Botswana and Indonesia before his move to Malawi, where he also took on coaching duties and guided the national side at the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier A.

In a 2021 interview with The Straits Times, Menon detailed the contributions he had made beyond the cricket oval in Malawi.

He shared how he had tagged along with a group of women in his social circle and visited the Maoni Orphanage to donate some blankets and toys. Once there, he got to witness the living conditions of the children’s dormitories, which housed 47 children but had only five bunk beds. The spartan sleeping arrangements, which could fit only 10 children, left him ill at ease.

“On the drive back, I felt a bit uneasy at the prospect that I was now going home to my big king-size bed and all the comforts we take for granted while that night, about 37 children would be sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor,” he told ST.

Menon then made a heartfelt plea for donations in a group chat with his former schoolmates from St Patrick’s School and managed to raise funds to purchase 30 bed frames costing about $30 each and 50 mosquito nets, which are useful in combating malaria, a serious problem in Malawi.

The SCA said in its Facebook post that Menon’s career “reflected his unwavering dedication to the development of cricket, both at home and abroad.”

It added: “A passionate ambassador for Singapore cricket, he carried the Singapore flag with pride wherever he coached. And Malawi, where he passed on, was the beneficiary of his cricket contribution.”

SCA also highlighted that Menon was an embodiment of Singaporean values of excellence, humility, and service.

“His legacy lives on in the players he shaped and the communities he uplifted across continents. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, players, and all who have the honour of knowing him.”

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