Zulkifli, Syahir to lead national sepak takraw squad for SEA, Asian Games

KUALA LUMPUR – Two senior players, Zulkifli Abdul Razak and Mohammad Syahir Mohd Rosdi, will be the main pillars of the national squad for two important multi-sports events this year, namely the SEA Games and the Asian Games.

National sepak takraw squad head coach Abdul Talib Ahmad said the selection of other players would be decided based on the evaluation of their performance during the ongoing Sepak Takraw League (STL) competition which started earlier this month.

“I would also like to remind the younger players to show their best performance in the STL this time to stand a chance to be picked for the SEA Games and Asian Games,” he told Bernama.

Meanwhile, Abdul Talib said the younger and senior players were showing their mettle in the STL this time, making the strength of the teams more balanced.

“If we look at the match records, most involved tie breaks and the elements in terms of defence I see are better than in the previous competition,” he said.

At the same time, Abdul Talib said that he has identified several young players who have shown good quality of play in competing with senior players in the STL this time.

“There are also junior players who can beat senior players, but I think they need more experience on that front for us to have a balanced team (national squad),” he said. – Bernama, February 14, 2022