KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may not have set a target for the Sultan Azlan Shah (SAS) Cup, but national hockey coach Sarjit Singh still expects his men to go the distance when the tournament begins in Ipoh on Sunday.
This year’s edition features a world-class field, including world No. 3 Belgium, Asian champions India (No. 7), New Zealand (No. 11), South Korea (No. 15) and Canada (No. 20).
World No. 13 Malaysia will open their campaign against New Zealand at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium.
“We are not setting a target as we don’t want to put pressure on the players. Every team wants to do well, and hopefully our boys perform and get good results,” said Sarjit.
He added that the SAS Cup will be the perfect platform to assess the team ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers from Feb 28-March 8.
“As you know, our main focus is next year’s Asian Games in Nagoya. We are rotating players now to prepare for that,” said the coach, who guided Malaysia to bronze at the Asia Cup in Bihar, India, in September.
Sarjit has included two newcomers — defender Nur Asyraf Ishak and forward Zufar Saiful Marsit — in the squad.
Veteran striker Faizal Saari, who returned from a nine-month retirement, will spearhead the attack alongside Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Akhimullah Anuar Esook and Muhajir Abdu Rauf.
“Our immediate focus is the SAS Cup. It will be a tough competition as we are up against some of the top teams in the world,” he said.
The Speedy Tigers will also be seeking revenge against the Black Sticks after their 4-3 defeat in the Nations Cup in June.
New Zealand coach Greg Nicol, meanwhile, is targeting another title on Malaysian soil following their Nations Cup triumph.
“We hope to achieve a great start tomorrow against Malaysia,” he said.
Last year, Malaysia finished fourth after losing to New Zealand in the playoff.
The Speedy Tigers last lifted the SAS Cup in 2022.
Tomorrow’s fixtures (Nov 23): India v S. Korea (4pm), New Zealand vs Malaysia (6pm), Belgium vs Canada (8pm)
* All matches at Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium, Ipoh
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