Don’t get carried away

Excellent job: S. Kumar (left) posing with the World Hockey League Semi-Finals best goalkeeper award at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. Together with him is national coach Stephen van Huizen.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men’s hockey team produced one of their best showings ever in an international tournament in recent years – and that has raised hopes of better things to come.

But before the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) start jumping for joy after watching the team finish fourth in the recently-concluded World Hockey League Semi-Finals in London, perhaps it would be wise to take a step back and see what more needs to do to improve the team.