KUALA LUMPUR – The player selection for the biennial international badminton championship 2022 Thomas Cup and Uber Cup will be finalised on April 22.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) did not rule out that Malaysia’s blue-eyed boy Lee Zii Jia will be representing the country in the championship.
Speaking to the Vibes, BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said: “Without a doubt that Zii Jia is our best available player. So, it won’t be an issue if we were to have him represent the country for the Thomas Cup.
“As for other players, we will select the strongest and best ones for the tournament.
“Once the line-up is ready, we will make the announcement.”
In the meantime, Zii Jia’s coach Indra Wijaya said losing to India’s Lakshya Sen in the All-England Open Badminton semi-finals has not broken his spirit as he continued to train hard every day to prepare for the world men’s most prestigious team competition.
“Although it was a tough match, Zii Jia persevered and was determined to keep going.
“I will wait for BAM’s line-up for Thomas Cup and see what they will decide, but for now we’ll do our best and prepare for the tournament,” said Indra.
When asked about their training location, the Indonesian added that they have yet to find a suitable place to train and are still looking for the right location.
During the semi-finals of All England, many put high hopes that the world number seven would defeat Sen to meet either world number one Viktor Axelsen of Denmark or fourth seed Taiwanese shuttler Chou Tien Chen in the finals.
The 23-year-old had caused a stir among the badminton fraternity in January after he announced his resignation from BAM.
Not long after, Zii Jia led the Malaysian contingent to victory at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February. – The Vibes, April 4, 2022
