Mohammad Syahir Ruled Out Of Sepak Takraw World Cup Final Due To Injury

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- The national sepak takraw squad has suffered a setback ahead of the team regu final at the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup.

Chief striker and server Mohammad Syahir Mohd Rosdi has been ruled out of tonight's final against Thailand due to injury.

National head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said the player is still undergoing treatment and is expected to need one to three months for a full recovery, depending on the severity of the injury.

"He's definitely not playing. We don't want to take a risk because he's not fit yet. We are still waiting for the ultrasound results to plan his rehabilitation programme. We hope it's nothing serious," he said when met here today.

The absence of the world's best striker has forced the coaching team to rethink their strategy, with either Muhammad Haziq Hairul Nizam or Zarif Marican Ibrahim Marican being considered to take on the role in the final.

"We will discuss tonight's lineup with the management and arrange our regu accordingly for the final," he said.

Mohammad Syahir was injured towards the end of the first set in yesterday's quarter-final and was replaced by Zarif Marican.

Despite losing their key player, Malaysia advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Japan.

Earlier, Malaysia booked their final spot against arch-rivals Thailand after sweeping past Indonesia 2-0.

-- BERNAMA