Asia Junior Cup: Skipper Ahmad is fit to lead the charge in Hyderabad

Skipper Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin (pic) has recovered fully from a knee injury and will lead the Malaysian hockey team’s challenge in the Junior Asia Cup, which begins tomorrow in Hyderabad.
Coach V. Muralidharan said in a telephone interview that Ahmad showed no sign of being bothered by the injury in a workout yesterday.

“We were a little worried about his conditions but he has recovered fully. I now have all the players available for selection. We will not take any team for granted in this tournament and will be at full strength in the opening match against Singapore.

“The tournament is a big test for the players. They do not have to worry about qualifying for the Junior World Cup (Malaysia are automatic qualifiers as co-hosts of the Finals next year with Singapore) but still we want them to be at their best.”

Ahmad is the mainstay of the Malaysian defence and as the specialist flicker of the team, his biggest contribution will come from penalty corner set pieces.

He shoulders the burden of having to deliver the goals because the team do not boast of having a very sharp forward line.

Malaysia are in Group A and their other opponents are defending champions India and Japan. Group B comprises Pakistan, Oman, Bangladesh and South Korea.

Muralidharan added that not having to go through the qualifying process for the World Juniors at the Asian Juniors did not mean that the players could take it easy.

“We will not hesitate to drop players who slacken during the tournament. We want to push them as hard as we can and to see how they rate against the best in Asia,” he said.

“The majority of the players in the team will form the core of the side for the World Juniors. They have to show their full potential here (Hyderabad). The team are weak in several areas and we will work on them in this tournament.”