Malaysia’s national hockey team needs new faces

Malaysia’s disappointing World Cup campaign may create room for younger players as the national hockey team prepares for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Any transition, however, is expected to happen gradually so the squad does not lose the experience of its senior players.

The team’s training group points to a growing pool of potential replacements. Head coach Brendon Carolan has 34 players training together each week, including 16 who are under 28. That balance suggests younger players could take on greater responsibility without an immediate wholesale change.

Several of them have already made an impact at the highest level. Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal scored four goals during the World Cup campaign, while Akhimullah Anuar Esook scored three and Shello Silverius added two.

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We have a group of 34 who train together every week. That is the group we consider the best at this point. Within the 34-player training squad, we have 16 players under 28.

Carolan declined to single out any one player, saying the progress should be viewed as a collective development. “We have a group of 34 who train together every week. That is the group we consider the best at this point. Within the 34-player training squad, we have 16 players under 28,” he said.

He expects the younger players to show further improvement when the second round of the Malaysia Hockey League begins. The coming period will test whether the expanded training group can narrow the gap between the established players and those seeking to replace them.

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You will see, when they return for the second round of the Malaysia Hockey League, that these young players will really show improvement.