KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian squad is considering a bold move by potentially leaving out Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in the upcoming Uber Cup.
The upcoming tournament in Chengdu, China from April 27 to May 5 may not see the country’s top-ranked women’s doubles in the line-up as they gear up for their Paris feat.
Akademi Badminton Malaysia technical director Rexy Mainaky explained that the coaching team is contemplating this to allow the duo to fully focus on July Olympics.
Instead, Rexy is prepared to take the risk of fielding other teams from the category to give them exposure.
For Rexy, he is aware that this proposal will stir up heated debate among local badminton enthusiasts, but he is ready to take the risk.
“I have considered the possibility of Pearly-Thinaah not participating in this tournament to focus on Olympic preparations.
“We need to be realistic. It’s not that we’re saying our chances in the Uber Cup are slim, but we have to be realistic.
“If Pearly-Thinaah play, they might offer a chance to win.
“However, if they win their matches and other players falter, we don’t want to finish matches with a 1-4 result in each group stage encounter.
“We’re not undermining our team and we are taking the Uber Cup challenge seriously, but we need to be realistic. How far can we go in this tournament?
“There might be those who disagree if I send young players, but if we don’t give opportunities to young players, when else?
“Who knows, the players we are gambling on this time might be better prepared for the next edition of the Uber Cup,” explained Rexy, speaking to the media today.
At the same time, Rexy has yet to determine the number of players to be brought to Chengdu. All decisions will be made in a player selection meeting with the Badminton Association of Malaysia tomorrow.
“For the women’s singles players, we have Goh Jin Wei, K. Letshanaa, Wong Li Ching, as well as Siti Nurshuhaini and Siti Zulaikha.
“Whether we want to bring four or five individual players, we have not decided yet.
For this year’s edition, Malaysia is drawn in Group B alongside Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Australia. – March 26, 2024