KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey coach Arul Selvaraj has a tough task ahead of him as he is forced to come up with the final list of players for the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup amid the growing amount of injuries among those on the national team.
Arul has until December 30 to finalise the list and submit it to the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
“I only want to focus on the selection and not comment so much about the players’ injuries…we will make the announcement soon.
“We expect to submit the final list one or two days before December 30, according to the FIH deadline,” he said when met at an appreciation ceremony for the 2022 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Indoor Hockey Asia Cup men’s and women’s teams today.
Among the players currently suffering from various forms of injuries include goalkeeper Zaimi Mat Deris for his hamstring, midfielder Nik Aiman Rozemi for his knee, and forward Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal for his fingers.
Meanwhile, striker Shello Silverius is recovering from an arm injury.
However, Arul also hopes to see the team bounce back from their injuries soon so they could next focus on other international events such as the 2023 Asian Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“To progress, we just have to play among the best in the world.
“Next year onwards, after the World Cup, we need to prepare for the Asian Games, which is the ultimate goal to qualify for the Olympics.
“We need to play a lot of matches against Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.”
The 15th edition of the world championship will be hosted in India from January 13 to 29.
Malaysia will start their campaign in the Pool C match against the Netherlands on January 14, followed by Chile on January 16, and New Zealand on January 19.
The national squad is scheduled to depart for India on January 6. – The Vibes, December 24, 2022
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