FUTURE STARS IDENTIFIED
Misbun believes young players will shine soon
NATIONAL men’s singles coach Misbun Sidek has singled out Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Tan Jia Wei as Malaysia’s future in badminton.
Misbun feels that it is time to groom them following the national Thomas Cup team’s failure in achieving the semi-final target in Bangkok.
“I am satisfied with the performances of our singles shuttlers here. As expected, Lee Chong Wei proved how important he was to the team by delivering the first point in our ties.
“Zii Jia also showed maturity. He now knows what is required of him. Give him two more years and I’m sure he will be an established player,” he said.
Misbun noted that Malaysia’s lack of specialisation was one of the factors that led to the failure.
“We need to break away from individualism. Look at teams like Denmark. They are united as a team. We are still far off.
“A culture like this must be nurtured from a young age. We couldn’t do it in time for this Thomas Cup.
“Players like Iskandar (Zulkarnain Zainuddin) to me are five years behind of his true potential. He should have been playing like this five years ago.
“But I must give him credit for his fighting spirit. Like Chong Wei, I see Iskandar as a leader. Where he lacks in terms of his game and skill, he makes up for it through his leadership.
“Of course, I will have to assess and see if he is relevant to the team or not. If we are to drop him, it is up to the management, I can only give my assessment.”
Misbun said: “With proper attention and grooming, Malaysia should be able to form a formidable squad in the next couple of years.
“From this tournament, I have 2pm (Malaysian time) — Match at
singled out Zii Jia and Jun Hao. They have showed that they have that extra edge in them.
“Then we also have players like June Wei and Jia Wei back home. For me, these are the players that we need to focus on.
“They are the special ones, who I believe, in the absence of Chong Wei, will lead the national team in the coming editions,” added Misbun.