The 31st edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah (SAS) Cup Invitational Hockey Tournament which just concluded saw several teams gearing up for upcoming competitions. The major tournaments are the World Cup qualifier in February 2026 and the Asian Games in Japan at the end of next year.
They came with mixed teams to make preparations and evaluate future tournaments. However the first two days the tournament was hit by heavy rain that resulted in organisers having to rescheduled games two hours early for the following three days which helped avoid the bad weather. However the rain did not deter die hard hockey fans from going to the stadium to support their favourite teams.
As for the host team, the return of Faizal Saari after a nine months hiatus has been a blessing to coach Sarjit Singh. With 307 international caps, the 34-year-old has not lost his touch and found the net five times.
He is regarded as a precious player in the team despite his age. His prowress in front of the goal saw him finishing fourth behind top scorer Sam Lane (9 goals) followed by FIH World Player of the Year, Belgian Tom Boon and Korean Kim Hyeonhong with six goals each. Malaysia finished fourth out of the six nation competition. Fans who braved the rain in the early part of the tournament to support Malaysia felt disappointed the Speedy Tigers could not go make the podium. The homesters was defeated by New Zealand 6-1 in third and fourth placing match.
Now is the time for Malaysian Hockey Confederation and Sarjit to double their efforts and resources for the benefit of the team. Malaysia penalty corner specialist Syed Syafiq Syaed Cholan suffered a knee injury and needs to take a rest.
“We rested him as the Olympic qualifier is at the end of February and beginning of March. “We have less then two and half months… but we still have main players. Our midfield is strong… our forwardd are strong,“ Sarjit said.
