Hockey squads prepare for Asian Games in Australia
KUALA LUMPUR: In the mission to reach the podium at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2, the nation’s men’s and women’s hockey squads will travel to Australia for a thorough preparation.
The women’s squad would be in Brisbane from July 20-30 to play in five friendly matches against the Queensland Academy of Sports (QAS), at the Brisbane Hockey Centre.
Its captain, Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani wanted the Malaysian Tigress squad to improve some of the team’s weaknesses identified at the 2018 Singapore Open Series Hockey Championship, during the friendly matches.
“We have identified several weaknesses such as counter-attack, completing a direct penalty corner and controlling the situation when we are in a player-deficient situation.
“I hope we can rectify the weaknesses in the best possible manner when in Brisbane. Indirectly, we will also fully use the stint to strengthen the team ahead of the Asian Games,” she said in a statement from the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (KHM).
Meanwhile, the men’s squad which would be in Perth from July 21 to Aug 2 would also face five friendly matches against the Australian national team at Curtin University Campus, which is also the Australian Sports Institute (AIS).
KHM had set a gold medal target for the Malaysian Tigers squad at the Asian Games, to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, while the women were given a bronze medal target.
Below is a full list of 20 male and female squad players who would take part in a series of friendly matches in Australia: Malaysian Tigers 1. S. Kumar 2. Muhammad Hairi Abd Rahman 3. Mohamad Sukri Abdul Mutalib 4. Muhammad Razie Abd Rahim 5. Syed Mohamad Syafiq Syed Cholan 6. Faiz Helmi Jali 7. Muhammad Azri Hassan 8. Meor Muhamad Azuan Hassan 9. Muhammad Marhan Jalil 10. Joel Samuel Van Huizen 11. Mohd Fitri Saari 12. Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor 13. Muhammad Amirol Aideed Mohd Arshad 14. Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil 15. Faizal Saari 16. Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi 17. Muhammad Firhan Ashari 18. Norsyafiq Sumantri 19. Muhammad Shahril Saabah 20. Muhamad Ramadan Rosli Match Schedule: July 24 (Tuesday) – 2.30 pm July 25 (Wednesday) – 11.30 am July 27 (Friday) – 12.30 pm July 30 (Monday) – 1.30 pm Aug 1 (Wednesday) 10.00 am Malaysian Tigress 1. Farah Ayuni Yahya 2. Mas Huzaimah Md Aziz 3. Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani 4. Juliani Mohamad Din 5. Raja Norsharina Raja Shabuddin 6. Nuraini Abd Rashid 7. Surizan Awang Noh 8. Wan Norfaiezah Md Saiuti 9. Fatin Shafika Md Shukri 10. Hanis Nadia Onn 11. Nuraslinda Said 12. Nur Syafiqah Mohd Zain 13. Fazilla Sylvester Silin 14. Nurul Syafiqa Mat Isa 15. Nur Zafirah Aziz 16. Nur Maizatulhanim Syafi Sheik Fuad 17. Kirandeep Kaur Gurdip Singh 18. Nor Asfarina Isahyifiqa Isahhidun 19. Norazlin Sumantri 20. Noor Hasliza Md Ali Match Schedule: July 23 (Monday) – 5 pm (Malaysian time) July 24 (Tuesday) – 3.30 pm July 26 (Thursday) – 3.30 pm July 27 (Friday) – 3.00 pm July 29 (Sunday) – 1.00 pm