Cheam’s chance to step in

Door open for June Wei to make Thomas Cup squad as doubts linger over Lee and Ng

PETALING JAYA: The uncertainties in the men’s singles team has opened the door for independent shuttler Cheam June Wei (pic) to receive a call-up for the Thomas Cup Finals from April 27-May 5 in Chengdu.

With both the country’s No. 1 Lee Zii Jia and No. 2 Ng Tze Yong’s participation in the team meet still a question mark, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) could turn to June Wei to fill one of the spots in the singles for the prestigious team meet.

Zii Jia is thinking about prioritising his preparations for the Paris Olympics in July over competing in the team event while Tze Yong is fighting to regain full fitness after undergoing back surgery at the end of February.

Singles coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock said he was considering all options available for the tournament while waiting to see if Zii Jia and Tze Yong will be available for selection.

“We are considering selecting June Wei for the Thomas Cup,” said Seu Bock after overseeing a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) yesterday.

“We have invited him here and he has started training with us today (yesterday). We want to have a look at his physical condition first before making any decisions.”

World No. 61 June Wei was part of the team in the 2020 edition in Aarhus, Denmark, but was not called up in 2022 in Bangkok.

Seu Bock admitted that the situation was not ideal for Malaysia with only a week to go before the deadline for naming the team on April 13.

The team had been in a similar state during the Asia Team Championships in February where Zii Jia and Tze Yong were not available for a few matches including the final.

Malaysia were forced to name doubles player Mohd Haikal Nazri in the third singles in the title match but the youngster did not need to play after the team went down 0-3 to China in Shah Alam.

“We have many things to consider to name the line-up for the Thomas Cup,” said Seu Bock.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in the Asia team meet and we want to name the best possible line-up.

“For Tze Yong, we are monitoring his progress day by day and will see if he can regain full fitness by April 13 before making a decision on including him in the team.”

The other singles players in contention to be selected for the team meet are Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh and Eogene Ewe.