Shello shines as captain of the junior hockey team

KUALA LUMPUR: Shello Silverius (pic) is the captain marvel for the Malaysian team in the Sultan of Johor Cup.

The Sabahan wore the arm band for the first time and commanded the midfield well to help Malaysia win the bronze medal.

Malaysia edged Japan 3-2 in the playoff for the bronze at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Keningau-born Shello said it felt nice to finish on the podium after four years.

Malaysia last finished third in the six-nation Under-21 tournament in 2015.

“I have carried out my responsibilities well as captain and I am proud of myself as I am the first player from my state to skipper the national junior team.

“We proved to everyone that we are a team to be reckoned with as we produced some good results against stronger teams like Britain and Australia,” said Shello.

Malaysia drew 1-1 with Australia and edged defending champions Britain 1-0 in the round-robin matches.

Britain beat reigning world junior champions India 2-1 in the final to retain the title on Sunday night.

Shello added they have a good set of players and they just need to train harder together to put up a better performance in the Junior Asia Cup in Dhaka from June 4-14 to qualify for the 2021 Junior World Cup.

A total of 10 teams will feature in the Junior Asia Cup and Malaysia need a top-four finish to make the cut for the Junior World Cup.

Shello wants to lead Malaysia to the Under-21 Junior World Cup.

“Next year will be my last year playing in junior tournaments as I am not eligible to play in the Junior World Cup in 2021 as I will turn 22.

“But for now, I will focus on helping Malaysia win gold in indoor hockey in the Philippines SEA Games in December,” said Shello, who has been training with the SEA Games squad since April.