Malaysia’s Young Tigers have been cautioned not to get their egos ballooning against lower-ranked teams in the Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup 2024 that begins in Al Amarat Muscat, Oman on Tuesday (Nov 26).
National junior team head coach I. Vikneswaran said it would be catastrophic for the World No 11-ranked Malaysians to look down on World No. 21-ranked Bangladesh, Oman (No. 33) and China (No. 48) who are drawn alongside World No.9 Pakistan, in Group B.
Two-time defending champions India, who are ranked World No. 2, are in Group A alongside South Korea (No. 12), Japan (No. 18), Chinese Taipei (No. 37) and Thailand (No. 40).
To reach the semifinals, the Malaysians need to secure a top-two finish in their pool fixtures. While this might seem easy, the main challenge for the Young Tigers will be to stay focused and not underestimate their opponents. Pakistan are formidable competitors while any of the other three opponents could potentially cause an upset.
The 11th edition of the Men’s JAC will be a new chapter for the Malaysians who have no reason to go astray in their mission under coach Vikneswaran, and his team of four assistant coaches that includes Mohammad Hairi Abd Rahman, Hanafi Hassan, Chairil Anwar A Aziz, and Pakistan’s penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas.
“All 1o teams have prepared for months for this tournament and have equal chances. Just like us, they are also on a mission to qualify for the 2025 Junior World Cup. We need to play to our strength and qualify for the semi-finals,” said Vickneswaran. “Once that is achieved our position at the 2025 Junior World Cup is secured.”
“The Pakistanis are the strongest side in our group and arrived with a number of talented senior team players, especially Muhammad Sufyan Khan who recently received the FIH Rising Star of the Year award,” he added.
He also stressed that the Young Tigers should learn from the bitter lesson an over-confident World No 11-ranked Japan women’s hockey team were subjected to in the match against Thailand in the recent Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Bihar, India.
The Thais, ranked World No.29, showed little or no respect to the meaning of ‘rankings’ when they held a 1-0 lead against Japan before ending their battle with a 1-1 draw.
The Young Tigers arrived in Muscat on the back of the experience of playing six friendly matches against the Burras and the Queensland hockey team in Australia.
Apart from the tour, their campaign at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru last month was marked by a series of defeats: Great Britain (1-2), New Zealand (2-3), Japan (1-4), India (2-4) and Australia (3-9).
Ten teams will compete in Muscat in the Men’s JAC, with six spots up for grabs in the upcoming FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2025, to be played in India, with an expanded competition format that will feature 24 teams for the very first time!
India have qualified as the hosts of the 2025 Junior World Cup competition. Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria and Switzerland have qualified from Europe. Argentina, Canada and Chile have qualified from the Americas.
Following the six qualifiers from the Junior Asia Cup, three more teams from Oceania and Africa (each) will qualify for the World Cup to complete the qualification process over the next few months.
