PETALING JAYA: Malaysia stand to gain plenty if they can have more than two top class women’s doubles pairs.
Newly appointed coach Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif now has that task on his hands after officially reporting for duty on Thursday, ending months of speculation over his arrival.
Zakry’s main responsibility is to support head coach Rosman Razak in closing the gap between national No. 1 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and the rest of the women’s doubles squad.
Pearly-Thinaah are currently ranked world No. 2. The closest to them are Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee at No. 25, while Go Pei Kee, who has left the national set up, is ranked No. 26 alongside Teoh Mei Xing.
There is then a sizeable drop to Cheng Su Hui-Tang Zhing Yi at No. 73, with Zhing Yi is currently sidelined by injury, and Chong Jie Yu-Vanessa Ng at No. 75.
After two days of observing the squad, Zakry acknowledged the scale of the task ahead but drew encouragement from the potential within the group.
"The potential is there. We have quite a number of players who have just moved up from the junior ranks as well as those in the back up squad, and we are working on narrowing that gap.
"As for forming new partnerships, I am not sure yet because I have not received any direction from Rosman.
"For now, my focus is on monitoring the players, understanding their strengths and getting a clearer picture of their game," said Zakry.
He stressed that having two or three strong pairs would give Malaysia a healthy edge, pointing to the men’s doubles department as a clear example.
The depth there has created fierce competition and ensured different pairs can step up to deliver results without piling constant pressure on former world champions Aaron Chia Soh-Wooi Yik.
"I want to close the gap between these pairs and Pearly-Thinaah and, if possible, build something similar to the men’s doubles set up, where they have two or three strong pairs," added Zakry, who will also work closely with fellow coach Ching Kai Feng.
Zakry knows what it takes at the highest level. As a player, he had captured bronze at the 2009 World Championships in India with Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari and rose to a career high of world No. 4.
