Ex-Thomas Cupper feels current squad lack depth to make final

PETALING JAYA: Former All-England finalist Ong Ewe Hock does not think the current team are good enough to reach the Thomas Cup final in Bangkok from May 8-15.

The 49-year-old feels it will be extremely tough for them to contend for the trophy, which has eluded Malaysia since 1992.

His pessimism is understandable as Malaysia are only seeded fifth in the 16-team Finals.

The top four seeds are Indonesia, Japan, Denmark and Taiwan.

Even India are ahead of Malaysia as the sixth seed.

Badminton powerhouse China are out of the top four and are the seventh seed, which is not surprising since most of their top players have not competed regularly to earn the ranking points.

The eighth seed are the South Koreans.

The draw will be made in Bangkok on March 31. Despite being out of the top four, Ewe Hock felt the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) should aim for nothing less than a semi-final finish.

The last time Malaysia stood on the podium was in Kunshan, China, in 2016 where they lost 2-3 to Denmark in the last four.

“If Malaysia can make the semis, then I will be very happy,” added Ewe Hock, who helped Malaysia reach the final on three occasions – Jakarta 1994, Hong Kong 1998 and Guangzhou 2002.

“Sorry to say but our chances of making the final is not that promising. I don’t mean to undermine the players but it’s an assessment based on the world ranking.

“The players’ rankings are always the best way to measure the overall team’s strength. Obviously the higher, the better.

“We will most likely count on (Lee) Zii Jia and Aaron (Chia)-(Soh) Wooi Yik for points in the opening singles and doubles.

“Ng Tze Yong could play a key role but he is young and not consistent.”

Ewe Hock also urged BAM to come up with a “realistic and achievable” target and be accountable for it.

“BAM can set any target they want. Once the target is set, they must try to meet it at all costs. If failed, then they must be held responsible.”