Misbun – enigmatic and eccentric champion coach – in the eyes of the public

“WHAT is your mother’s name?”. The question was posed to this writer by Datuk Misbun Sidek as he was preparing to insert a needle into my right toe.

As I lay down flat on my back in Misbun’s hotel room in Manila in February, 1998 surrounded by fellow journalists covering the Thomas Cup preliminaries, the legendary six-time national champion cautiously moved his fingers.