Malaysia’s men’s team head coach Sarjit Singh takes his Speedy Tigers on a journey to get back on track in the 30th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (SAS Cup) which begins tomorrow in Ipoh.
The former international has been tasked by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to change the fortunes of the national outfit against some of the best teams in the world after its failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The SAS Cup will serve as a stepping stone for the Speedy Tigers, who without doubt, will face a litmus test against Olympic qualifiers New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan and Canada.
The Malaysians move into the tournament as defending champions following their landmark victory for the first time in the 2022 edition after a 39-year-wait.
In a pre-tournament press conference, Malaysian assistant coach Mohamad Sukri Abdul Mutalib said: “We have formed a new team with several youngsters and our mission is to give them all the opportunities as we gear up for our long-term plan.
“Although it will be our first international tournament, we have set a top-four finish. It will be a challenging moment for the team against Pakistan in our first match,” said Sukri.
The Pakistanis have arrived with 11 senior players and seven youngsters who were picked from the 2023 Junior World Cup squad that qualified for the quarterfinal stage.
Roelant Oltmans, Pakistan’s newly appointed coach who is very much familiar with the Malaysian players and structure, having coached the side in 2019, said he only had four days of training with the Pakistanis before arriving in Kuala Lumpur.
“There will not be any expectations from the team. Just like all the other teams, we are also building this side and playing well is our mission. We are preparing for the Nations Cup as it offers a valuable opportunity to compete in the FIH Hockey Pro League,” said the Dutchman.
The Kiwis, champions in 2012 and 2015, will be without six senior players who are engaged with clubs in Europe and coach Greg Nicol is expected to give the youngsters the chance to showcase their skills against the Canadians in the tournament opening match at 4pm tomorrow.
In Saturday’s third match, three-time champions South Korea will entertain arch rivals Japan.
The Japanese have been unlucky in the history of the SAS Cup and have yet to reach the final in the last 29 editions. In the 2022 edition, Japan lost 3-5 to Pakistan in the third-fourth place match.
