Slippery task for keeper Kumar

National number one hockey goalkeeper S. Kumar was disappointed with his performance in the Champions Trophy tournament at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last December.

The Negri Sembilan keeper conceded a few soft goals and he was replaced by Khairulnizam Ibrahim in the last two matches of the eight-team tournament in which Malaysia finished last.



The 28-year-old Kumar, who has 105 international caps to his credit, faces yet another daunting task in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Kakamigahara, Japan, starting on Saturday. And the slippery old pitch conditions have made his task even tougher.

Kumar said in a telephone interview from Japan yesterday that they found the pitch bouncy as well after using it for the last two days.

“Under these conditions, I have to be sharp and fast to stop all direct attempts at goal, including those from penalty corners,” he said.

“It’s really going to be a big challenge for me to play on such a pitch. The qualifying tournament is an important assignment for us and I don’t want to be blamed for the team’s defeat.”

Kumar added that there was no excuse for his disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy tournament, which was played in good pitch conditions.

“Now that we have a poor pitch, I have to more alert and cautious. I have to adapt to the conditions quickly before the tournament begins,” he said.

Kumar added that the cold Kakamigahara weather, with the temperature of 10°C, would also be a problem.

The reserve goalkeeper in the team is Mohd Hanafi Hassan, who made his international debut in the Asia Cup in Chennai last September. The Malacca goalkeeper has only 15 international caps to his name.

Kumar and Hanafi have been training under goalkeeper coach Shahid Ali Khan of Pakistan since May last year.

Shahid said that it was unfortunate that an important hockey tournament would be played on one of the worst pitches.

“There are patches all over the pitch and in some areas, the turf is worn out. I hope Kumar will be able to adapt well to such appalling conditions,'' said Shahid, who was rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the 80s.

The Malaysian team, who arrived in Japan on Monday, will open their campaign against Poland on Saturday. Their other preliminary round matches are against Italy (Sunday), two-time champions Germany (April 8), Switzerland (April 10) and Japan (April 12).

The classification matches and final will be held on April 13. Only the winners will take the last berth in a 12-team Olympics competition in Beijing in August.