The 2016 Olympic-bound teams Australia, India, New Zealand and Canada are set to take centre stage in the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup but it is the performance of hosts Malaysia that will grab the attention of local fans from April 6-16 in Ipoh.
The Malaysians have never won gold medal since the inception of the tournament in 1983. They have five silver medals to show having lost in the finals, the last being in 2013 and 2014.
Five-time winners Pakistan, who failed to win a place in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and Japan, add glamour to the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Malaysian head coach Stephen van Huizen goes into the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hoping his players will take inspiration from Barbadian pop-star singer Rihanna’s song ‘shine bright like a diamond’ following a well-learned 10-match tour of New Zealand and Australia recently.
The presence of the Sultan of Perak, His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, for the opening ceremony on Wednesday should further inspire the home team.
While the Australians, Kiwis, Canadians and Indians look to the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Champions Trophy in London in June as barometers in their run-up to the Rio Games, Van Huizen has urged his players to believe in themselves throughout the tournament.
The host nation goes into a showdown with defending champions and 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist New Zealand on Wednesday (8.35pm) before gearing up for tougher matches in the 11-day tournament.
“The Malaysian Hockey Confederation has not set any mouth-watering target for the national team except for a credible performance. This is a truly world class tournament and we have done all we can to prepare for the tournament,” said Van Huizen.
“There are four teams who have qualified for the Olympics and two ranked below us. We do not want to finish last and will play to our potential. The Test matches against New Zealand and Australia was a good eye opener and I believe we have learned a lot from the tour,” added Van Huizen, who expects a tough and good game against the Kiwis.
The World Cup qualifiers in 2017 and Tokyo Olympics in 2020, said Van Huizen, is a priority and the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is the first stage in whipping the team into shape for the crunch.
New Zealand team manager, Dean Couzins, a former captain of the Blacks Sticks who announced his retirement 18 months ago after playing 318 test caps for New Zealand – the second most capped men’s hockey player in New Zealand’s history, however, is cautious of the Malaysians.
“Both teams know each other very well especially after the four test matches back home,” said Couzins, who has been the rock of the Black Sticks defence for 13 years. “We are obviously delighted to be back in defence of the title but the Malaysians are a good side and if the home crowd gets behind them they will be all fired up.”
For the first time the national hockey team will have no proven goalkeeper to bank on after veteran S. Kumar has been ruled out through injury for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Instead, two Project 2013 goalkeepers – Mohd Hafizuddin Othman and Hairi Abdul Rahman will replace him.
