Malaysia out to settle score with NZ in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup opener

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian hockey team have some unfinished business to settle with New Zealand as they start their 2025 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign against the Kiwis today.

The Speedy Tigers recently fell to New Zealand on home soil during the Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur, going down 4-3 in the group stage in June. At last year’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, New Zealand had also downed Malaysia 3-2 to secure the bronze medal.

This year, Malaysia coach Sarjit Singh will be aiming for a better finish as the team are boosted by the return of veteran Faizal Saari, who made a U-turn on his retirement in February to be back in the team for the tournament at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.

“We don’t want to put any pressure on our players. Every team here want to do well,” said Sarjit during the pre-tournament press conference yesterday.

“For the past 17 months, our target has been the Asian Games.

“We are trying to rotate the players around and have brought in two new players.

“With the return of Faizal, the team will be built around the experience of four senior players, including captain Marhan Jalil, Fitri Saari and Faiz Halmi Jali.”

This year’s edition sees the absence of 2024 champions Japan and runners-up Pakistan, but will feature powerhouses Belgium, India, Canada and South Korea.

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Sam Lane said the team hope to continue their good times in Malaysia after defending their Nations Cup title in June.

“This year we’ve had a good time in Malaysia for the Nations Cup, and that gave us a good indication of how we’re playing,” said Lane.

“But there are a lot of us who are coming from our domestic league. That’s still going on so we’re all a little desynchronised because we don’t train together often. So we want to make sure that we perform well and develop further as a team.”