IPOH – National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh has reminded his team not to underestimate New Zealand, despite having won their last two matches against the world number 10 side.
Sarjit’s response came after his side’s 1-0 victory against South Korea in their final Sultan Azlan Shah Cup pool match at the Azlan Shah Stadium last night.
The Speedy Tigers will face the Black Sticks in today’s third-and-fourth classification match.
The last encounter between both teams was their third pool match, which ended with a 6-4 win for Malaysia.
Prior to the ongoing tournament, the sides also met in a friendly on May 1, which ended with a 3-2 win for Malaysia.
For the record, Malaysia and New Zealand have clashed 27 times since the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, with New Zealand having a higher winning percentage of 48.15%.
Sarjit expects New Zealand to put up a good fight and not compromise in their attempt to clinch a third-place finish against the world-number-13 Speedy Tigers.
“It’s going to be a tough match against New Zealand, and it’s never easy to face such a good side.
“Any team that loses two games in a row will definitely try to catch up and perform better than their previous match, and that’s normal in any sport.
“It’s going to be a tough task for us to beat them for three games in a row as they are improving with every match after their 4-1 defeat to Japan.
“I’m concerned about my players as this will be our third consecutive game, and most of the young players are not accustomed to this kind of situation. However, I will ensure that I rotate the 18 selected players so that everyone gets an equal chance to play,” said Sarjit during a post-match press conference yesterday.
Meanwhile, New Zealand head coach Greg Nicol is ready to dig deep into his squad and give his less-used players game time, hoping to prevent Malaysia from securing a bronze medal.
“I will give most of my youngsters a chance to play. We have nothing to lose. I would be happy if they perform well and secure the bronze,” said Nicol.
New Zealand have made 14 appearances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and won the tournament twice (2012 and 2015) since its inception in 1983. – May 11, 2024