SASC FIRST TEST FOR NEW LOOK SPEEDY TIGERS UNDER COACH SARJIT

IPOH, May 3 (Bernama) -- The 30th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (SASC) which kicks off at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium here tomorrow will serve as a perfect avenue for national men’s hockey team head coach Sarjit Singh to test his new-look Speedy Tigers against some of the future Olympic stars.

With many teams opting to field young players in the six-nation invitational tournament scheduled from May 4-11, Sarjit, who is tasked with building a formidable squad for the 2026 Asian Games and to end the country’s over two decades Olympic drought, will be able to evaluate his charges against a mixture of seasoned young players.

The former international, who took charge of the Speedy Tigers in early March, had named an 18-member team with an average age of 26, roping in only four players aged 30 and above with over 100 caps, including captain Muhammad Marhan Jalil (34 years old, 302 caps), Fitri Saari (31, 172), Faizal Saari (33, 285), and stopper Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman (32, 107).

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Apart from Malaysia as the host and defending champion, world number 10 and two-time champion New Zealand, three-time champion South Korea (11), Pakistan (15), Japan and Canada have also brought teams blended with senior and junior players for various reasons, including as preparations for the Nations Cup from May 31 to June 9.

Despite being the defending champions, Malaysia’s assistant coach Mohamad Sukri Abdul Mutalib said his charges are eager to prove themselves to the coaches and hoping for a top four target.

“Though our preparation period was short, the boys are ready to play and prove themselves to justify their selection into the team. It is a long-term project, we are not under pressure to defend the title, hope is for a top-four finish,” he said in the press conference here today.

Malaysia, ranked world number 13, who clinched the first title in 2022, will begin the campaign against three-time champions Pakistan tomorrow, followed by matches against Canada (May 5), New Zealand (May 7), Japan (May 8), and three-time champions South Korea on (May 10).

Based on the tournament format, the top two teams (after the round-robin matches) will challenge for the title, while the third and fourth-placed teams will vie for the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, the only Olympic-bound team in the tournament and among the favorites for the final, New Zealand, is also without a few of the senior players due to club commitments in Europe.

“A number of players are still in Europe, competing with their clubs, so a few others are given a chance to play in this tournament. This will be part of our important preparations for the Paris Olympics in July,” said head coach Greg Nicol. 

Another team that, the Speedy Tigers need to be wary of will be Pakistan under the tutelage of former national head coach Roelant Oltmans.

Despite only having a week of preparations due to internal conflicts in the Pakistan hockey fraternity, the Green Shirts can fare well in the tournament, while the Dutch tactician knows the Malaysian team inside out.

“We have around seven players who played in the Junior World Cup in November last year, to challenge for their places this time and perform better. We just had one week of training, and I think I know the Malaysian team players better from my time here,” he said.

Tomorrow’s (May 4) schedule:

New Zealand vs Canada - 4pm

South Korea vs Japan - 6.15pm

MALAYSIA vs Pakistan - 8.30pm

-- BERNAMA