KUMAR’S RACE AGAINST TIME
National keeper has only few weeks left to be fit for the World Cup
NATIONAL No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup in India on Nov 28-Dec 16 as he has yet to recover from a right thumb injury.
The 38-year-old, whose only World Cup appearance was in 2014 in the Netherlands, did not play a single match at the recent Asian Champions Trophy (ACT), although he was part of the team in Muscat, Oman.
National coach Roelant Oltmans hopes the custodian will be able to recover in time for the World Cup.
Kumar, who has 308 caps, picked up the injury during the Indonesia Asian Games, and he is now having problems holding his hockey stick in a firm grip.
“Yes, even though we named Kumar for the ACT, he did not play a single match. Hairi (Rahman) kept goal in all the matches. This is not an issue as we took him along to motivate Hairi and also to watch the other goalkeepers in action.
“And Hairi did well to save some good shots, but was also poor in some aspects. However, Hairi did well overall and I believe Kumar will be ready in time for the World Cup as he is undergoing rehabilitation now,” said Oltmans.
In the pool matches, Malaysia let in only four goals while in the semifinals it was a 4-4 draw with Pakistan but lost 3-1 in the shootout at the ACT.
And in the bronze playoff match, Malaysia drew 2-2 with Japan and won 3-2 in the shootout.
“It was also good to see Hairi doing well in the shootout against Japan which should build his confidence further.
“We have four goalkeepers in training and it should not be a problem in any eventuality. However, I believe Kumar will be ready for the World Cup.”
It will be tight in Group D of the World Cup for Malaysia as they have Germany, Netherlands and Pakistan for company.
The top three teams in each of the four groups will advance to the next stage.