T’ganu in danger
SURVIVAL: Relegation beckons as they need help from other teams for safety
a better chance of escaping relegation.
But Pahang, even before their 1-0 defeat to Kedah on Aug 3 was overturned by FAM on Thursday, have form on their side after picking up seven points from their last three league games ahead of their trip to Kuala Terengganu T-Team.
The award of the extra three points took Pahang four clear of the relegation zone and guaranteed their survival.
Sarawak coach David Usop said his team have their destiny in their own hands at the State Stadium and do not want to be relying on help from elsewhere.
“We know now that Pahang are safe even before they play T-Team, who are a strong side. That leaves just four teams battling against relegation,” he SYAIDATUL Afifah Badrul Hamidi (pic) emerged as the top performer in the top 24 stage as she kept Malaysia’s hopes alive in the AMF World Cup in Shanghai yesterday.
The 25-year-old started the day at 11th and 204 pins off the eighthplaced bowler. She needed to make up more than 25 pins in every game yesterday to make the top eight cut.
Syaidatul did just that with a new ball as she rolled games of 237, 211, 243, 212, 229, 256, 201, 237 to post a total of 1,826 pinfalls, averaging 228.25, for a 28-game 5,776 series.
She garnered the highest score of told Astro Arena. “But we don’t want to rely on anyone else. We just have to stay focused on our game.”
“Police hold the advantage too as they are match-ready after playing in the Malaysia Cup last week. All we have been doing is playing friendly games and resting for a long time. We would have preferred to be playing competitively.”
While Police lost to Kedah 2-1 on aggregate in the Malaysia Cup semifinals, Sarawak, Penang and Terengganu have not been in action since Sept 24.
Police, however, arrived in Kuching without two key players in captain Safuwan Baharudin and converted defender Latiff Suhaimi due to suspension.
“We will have to change this around to balance the team,” said Police coach Fauzi Pilus. “We have to continue the fight with the players we have, keep playing like how we have been playing and hope we can get the right result.”
Elsewhere, champions Darul Ta’zim, having secured a record third consecutive league title, are poised to create more history when they meet Selangor in Shah Alam.
Fresh from being eliminated in the AFC Cup semi-finals by India’s Bengaluru on Wednesday, the Johor club can become the first team in Malaysian football to go an entire league campaign without defeat since 1979.
Meanwhile, PKNS secured promotion to the Super League after beating Kuala Lumpur 2-0 in Selayang thanks to a brace by Juan Manuel Cobelli.
Armed Forces were relegated to the FAM Cup after losing 3-2 to Perlis at Temerloh before Universiti Teknologi Mara edged Sabah 2-1 at Likas to move to safety. Germany’s Nadine Geissler and Mexico’s Iliana Lomeli are the others still in contention for the women’s title.
“I did not expect to make the top eight as I needed to make up a 204pin deficit. The decision to change the ball helped me record high games to make the cut,” said Syaidatul in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Rafiq Ismail missed the top eight cut by one pin in the men’s event.
Rafiq posted a combined 5,680 series, one pin short of the total pinfalls amassed by Russian Yan Korshak after 28 games. By Ajitpal Singh