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2002 Hockey World Cup

Hockey Malaysia

Malaysia host the World Cup for the second time, with hopes of re-capturing the emotional wave that carried them to the semifinals of the 1975 edition.

The home side's 4th placing in the 3rd Men's World Cup was their best-ever showing in the tournament. Malaysia finished no higher than 10th in their four other appearances.

But in 1975, the Southeast Asians defied the odds and made it to the last four at the expense of title holders the Netherlands, whom they edged 2-1 in the final preliminary round match.

Then in an epic semifinal, the Malaysians led eventual champion India 2-1 only to concede an equaliser with minutes remaining before finally succumbing to an extra-time winner.

Malaysia's German coach Paul Lissek has set a top 10 target for his boys in this World Cup following a run of inconsistent performances over the past year.

The home team came in last during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2001 in August, behind winner Germany, Korea, Australia, Pakistan, India and England.

Then in last November's 1st men's Champions Challenge, the Malaysians began impressively but faded towards the end of the tournament.

Their early wins included a 2-1 victory over eventual champion India. Needing only a point to reach the final, the home boys proceeded to lose their next two matches and made it three defeats out of three in the final classification match against Argentina.

Malaysia appeared to have slipped even further when they once again picked up the wooden spoon in January 2002's Six-Nation Tournament in Kuala Lumpur. Yet, there were encouraging performances during this tourney, particularly in a 2-2 draw against the Aussies and a narrow 2-3 loss to the Netherlands.

Despite the dubious record, many opponents remain wary of the Malaysians, who have proved in the past few years that when cornered, they can be as fierce as tigers.

They believe home ground advantage could also be an important factor for Malaysia, bearing in mind their silver medal performance during the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games when Lissek first held the reins.

They also remember the Asians' doggedness in Sydney 2000 when Malaysia held the mighty Dutch and were 30 seconds away from a famous victory over Pakistan.

That the Malaysians finished in 11th position was no reflection on their overall performance, especially in defence where they were frugal and composed.

Veteran Nor Saiful Zaini - who played at right back, may have retired since then, but defensive stalwarts Maninderjit Singh and Nor Azlan Bakar are still there.

The young and promising Chua Boon Huat, Malaysia's junior skipper, is a worthy replacement for Nor Saiful while penalty corner specialist Kuhan Shanmuganathan has moved to central midfield.

Kuhan, so often Malaysia's saviour with his deadly short corner flicks, have been off-key for some months and would need to re-discover his form if the home team are to have any chance of finishing high.

Up front, skipper Mirnawan Nawawi is an experienced hand and is looking for a fitting end to an illustrious career.

Certainly, he will be mindful that this year is the centenary anniversary of hockey in Malaysia, which was first introduced to these shores by the Royal Engineers, British Army in 1902.

The popularity of the sport promptly grew among locals and by the 1920s, state associations were formed followed by the first inter-state matches. Today, the inter-state competition is called the Razak Cup.

Then Malaya played their first international against India, losing 0-7 in 1932 and four years later made their first tour to Hong Kong.

Malaysia made their Olympic debut in the 1956 Melbourne Games, finishing 9th, and then participated in their first-ever World Cup in Amsterdam 1973, where they placed 11th.

In 1987, the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) was introduced with competition between employer clubs. Today, the MHL remains the premier hockey tournament and is a main factor in the revival of Malaysian hockey.

Others in the squad include brothers Keevan Raj and Logan Raj, seasoned striker Chairil Anwar Abdul Aziz, and two equally safe custodians - Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim and Roslan Jamaluddin. and Hobart junior team members Mohd Madzli Ikmar, S. Shankar, Jiwa Mohan, Mohd Rodhanizam Radhi and Mohd Tajol Rosli. Defender K. Gobinathan and midfielder Shaiful Azli Abdul Rahman complete the line-up.

Six of the 18 played in Utrecht 1998 - Mirnawan, Maninderjit, Nor Azlan, Kuhan, Chairil Anwar and Nasihin.

Team manager Dato' R. Yogeswaran expressed confidence that the side will perform creditably as they have ironed out most of their vulnerabilities and fallibilities.

"We have corrected the weaknesses. When the World Cup begins, you will see that the weaknesses have been turned into strengths," he said.

Malaysia have played a total of 45 matches in the lead-up to the World Cup. These comprise 22 competition matches - Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2001, SEA Games 2001, 1st Men's Champions Challenge 2001 and Six Nation Tournament 2002 - 18 Test matches at home and from tours to New Zealand, Korea and Germany, and five friendlies.

For the record, the matches played have produced 12 wins, 10 draws and 23 losses, with 85 goals scored and 89 conceded.

MALAYSIA'S WORLD CUP SQUAD:


Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim (GK)
Roslan Jamaluddin (GK)
Maninderjit Singh (defender)
Nor Azlan Abu Bakar (defender)
Mohd Madzli Ikmar (defender)
Chua Boon Huat (defender)
K. Gobinathan (defender)
S. Shankar (midfield)
K. Keevan Raj (midfield)
Jiwa Mohan (midfield)
Kuhan Shanmuganathan (midfield)
Shaiful Azli Abdul Rahman (midfield)
Mirnawan Nawawi (forward, capt)
Mohd Rodhanizam Radhi (forward)
Mohd Tajol Rosli (forward)
K. Logan Raj (forward)
Chairil Anwar Abdul Aziz (forward)
Mohd Fairus Ramli (forward)
Coach : Paul Lissek
Team Manager : Dato' R.Yogeswaran
Stand-In Manager : Stephen van Huizen
Medical Doctor : Dr. Ramlan Abdul Aziz
Physiotherapist : Sabilaini Ramli

WORLD CUP RECORD
1971 - Barcelona -
1973 - Amsterdam 11th
1975 - Kuala Lumpur 4th
1978 - Buenos Aires 10th
1982 - Bombay 10th
1986 - London -
1990 - Lahore -
1994 - Sydney 8th
1998 - Utrecht 11th
SYDNEY 2000 OLYMPICS 11th

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