The Speedy Tigers’ early arrival in Poland for the Nations Cup (May 31-June 9) is indeed a blessing.
“I am extremely glad we arrived much earlier here (last Friday) as the players can acclimatise to the weather conditions. It is very hot. Furthermore, the pitch is bumpy and the players are having difficulty getting used to it,” said Sarjit after the Malaysians, ranked world No.13, friendly match against world No.11 New Zealand at the National Hockey Stadium in Gniezno yesterday.
“The pitch is old green turf, bumpy and uneven. It is far different from the blue pitches that we have in Malaysia. Even New Zealand is finding it difficult to adjust playing on the bumpy surface. The Kiwis arrived here much earlier than us and Austrians too,” he added.
“I hope our players will settle down quickly. Some matches, I believe, will be decided by the pitch,” he said.
“Although we lost 4-1 to New Zealand, it was a welcoming experience for the team, especially the six newcomers to the side. They were all given opportunities to play,” he said.
The newcomers are 2023 Junior World Cup captain Faris Harizan, T. Naaveennash Panicker, Nur Rahull Hrsikesa Thaitchana Muruthi, Syawal Abdul Razak, Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin and Arif Syafie Ishak.
All six players did not feature in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (SAS Cup) in Ipoh this month, while some are eyeing their first international cap in Poland. For the record, Sarjit’s Speedy Tigers finished fourth in the 30th edition of the SAS Cup.
Forward Faizal Saari, however, was rested in the match against New Zealand as he is recovering from a knee injury sustained during training two days ago.
“The ball struck him in the knee but the injury is not serious. He should recover soon. The team will have a light training session tomorrow (Tuesday) in preparation for our second friendly match against the South Africans on Wednesday (May 29),” he stressed.
The Malaysians are drawn to play against Pakistan (World No 16) in the Group B opening match on May 31, followed by contests against France (No 9) on June 2, and Canada (No 20) on June 5.
In Group are world No 9 France, New Zealand (No 11), South Korea (No 12), South Africa (No 14), and Poland (No 28).
Sarjit will trim his 20-member squad to 18 players for the Nations Cup after the friendly match against South Africa tomorrow.