The national men’s junior hockey team will embark on a six-match playing tour of Brisbane, Australia starting on Wednesday, July 24.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) announced this in a statement today.
The 26-member team includes goalkeepers Mohamad Rafaizul Mohamad Saini and Muhammad Danish Afnan Mohd Faizal who are among eight players that featured in the 2023 Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
The Young Tigers, a moniker given to the juniors, will play four matches against the Australian national Under-21 team and two matches against the Queensland Hockey Team. All matches will be played at the Queensland State Hockey Centre.
The coaches are former international I. Vikneswaran, who is also President of Kuala Lumpur HA, and assisted by Hairi Rahman, Hanafi Hassan and Chairil Anwar.
Team manager Ganesan Shanmugam said the tour is part of MHC’s initiative to help the national juniors gain exposure and build on experience in preparation for the Sultan of Johor Cup (Oct 18-26) and the Junior Asia Cup (JAC) in December.
The JAC will also serve as a qualifying event for the 2025 Junior World Cup in India.
“Following the training and selection process, I am confident this Australian tour will certainly benefit the players. It is the first step in MHC’s plans towards developing the team,” said Ganesan, who is also the President of the Selangor Hockey Association.
“The players have developed an understanding of each other’s gameplay. It will be wonderful experience playing against the Australian Under-21 team and the Queensland team. It helps us to build on our game,” he added.
The Malaysians will play their first of four matches against the Australian National Under-21 team on Friday (July 26), followed by games on July 28, July 29 and July 31. They will go into a showdown against the Queensland Hockey Team on August 1 and August 5.
The national junior squad to Australia:
Goalkeepers – Mohamad Rafaizul Mohamad Saini, Muhammad Danish Afnan Mohd Faizal, Khairul Amirin Mohd Kamarul Azlan.
Defenders – Andywalfian Jeffryrius, Muhammad Nabil Irfan Mohd Yusof, Samrin Asri, Mohamad Nor Syakir Hafiz, Muhd Alief Adha Akhbar, Muhammad Zamarul Hazim Ahmad Zamri, Muhammad Hafiezuddin Mohd Ali.
Midfielders: Muhammad Danish Daniel Abd Wahab, Muhammad Addy Jazmi Jamlus, Muhammad Khairul Norizam, Muhammad Handzalah Abdul Hadi, Disairul Fazrien Muhammad Nazrien, Mohd Adam Ashraf Mohd Johari, Wan Arif Faizuddin Wan Azmeer.
Forwards – Mohammad Haris Iskandar Osman, Che Nur Aqirullah Che Mohd Khaurulzi Anwar, Muhammad Danish Aiman Khairil Anwar, Sriraam Vikneswaran, Mohamad Khairil Hakimi Zainul, Ekram Aidilfikri Sapri, Yashvindraa Singaravadivel, Addit Abdullah, Naaveennash Panicker Thevendran.