KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh views his side’s ongoing Australian tour as the ideal opportunity for his charges to improve their pressing game, which has been lacking in recent performances.
The 62-year-old Olympian’s comments came after his side suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat to Australia’s national team on Thursday.
Speaking to Scoop from Perth, Sarjit explained that the primary reason for persuading the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to arrange the friendly series on Australian soil was to ensure his side could also learn to be more systematic on the turf.
“As we all know, Australia is one of the best teams in the world right now, and we want our players to absorb as much as they can from playing against them.
“To be honest, if we look at our game, we’ve been severely lacking in our pressing over the past year, and as a result, we tend to make a lot of errors.
“By playing against the Australians, my players are now more aware of when to press at the right time, which will help us create more scoring opportunities rather than wasting possession.
Australia, ranked sixth in the world, scored three field goals and converted three penalty corners in their match against Malaysia, ranked 13th in the world.
Sarjit also tested several former national junior players during the match.
Goalkeeper Rafaizul Saini, who featured in the 2023 Junior World Cup in Bukit Jalil, played two quarters, while national number one keeper Hafizuddin Othman took to the field in the third and fourth quarters.
Prior to Thursday’s match, the Speeedy Tigers edged past Western Australia 2-1.
“My players have also learned how to be more systematic on the turf after playing both matches against Australia.
“We still have a few more matches to go, and we’ll ensure we apply everything we’ve learned to reduce our goal deficit in the upcoming friendlies,” Sarjit said when contacted.
It is understood that Sarjit’s side will head to South Korea next month for a series of friendly matches as part of their preparation for the Nations Cup.
The Speedy Tigers have several major tournaments lined up this year, including the Asian Cup in India from August 27 to September 7—offering automatic qualification for the FIH World Cup—the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup from November 22 to 29, and the Bangkok SEA Games from December 9 to 20. — April 26, 2025