Going by what "interim" (as how he describes his position) coach Tai Beng Hai said was the best available team for the World Cup Qualifiers, then Malaysian hockey fans are left with no alternative but place our hopes in the hands of god to grant us a place in the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi.
Beng Hai was asked during the post match press conference last Monday as to when the public could see his probable team take the field against the visiting Aussie second stringers, and he answered sometime during the week.
And that question was repeated during the post match press conference after the final Test Match on Sunday, and Beng Hai's reply was his team was fielded in either the second or third Test Match.
So Malaysian Hockey went through the list of players fielded in all the matches, compared to the final list of 18 players selected for the qualifiers and the team that played the second Test Match comprised of 16 players that made the final 18, with the exception of keeper S. Kumar and Mohd Marhan.
Let the record show that we lost that match 5-1, our worst defeat in the five Test Matches. But since it is his head on the chopping block, we will not question his decision, albeit for one.
The decision to drop S. Baljit Singh (by the way a local daily got his pic mixed up with the other Baljit who made the final squad and is from Ipoh), is somewhat questionable. He played four out of the five matches and besides Mohd Amin Rahim, Baljit is the only direct flicker off a penalty corner that was in the final 25.
Should anything happen to Amin, we are an open textbook during the qualifiers as the opponents also realise what options are open to the Malaysian team should Amin be injured.
Below is the tem list for all the five matches played against the Aussies. Names in bold are players who made the final 18.
First Test Team
Khairulnizam, S. Baljit, Amin, Marhan, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, Razie, Mohd Noor Khairul, C. Baljit, Tengku Ahmad, Nabil Fiqri
Second Test Team
Khairulnizam, Ahmad Kazamirul, Amin, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, C. Baljit, Tengku Ahmad, Nabil Fiqri, Jivan Mohan, Kelvinder, Razie
Third Test Team
S. Baljit, Amin, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, C. Baljit, Tengku Ahmad, Nabil Fiqri, Jivan Mohan, Kelvinder, Razie, Mohd Abul Hakim
Fourth Test Team
S. Baljit, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, C. Baljit,Nabil Fiqri, Jivan Mohan, Kelvinder, Kumar, Ahmad Kazamirul, Mohd Nor Khairul, Mohd Amirullah, Marhan
Fifth Test Match
S. Baljit, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, Nabil Fiqri, Kelvinder, Kumar, Ahmad Kazamirul, Mohd Nor Khairul, Mohd Amirullah, Marhan, Harvinder. Amin
Beng Hai was asked during the post match press conference last Monday as to when the public could see his probable team take the field against the visiting Aussie second stringers, and he answered sometime during the week.
And that question was repeated during the post match press conference after the final Test Match on Sunday, and Beng Hai's reply was his team was fielded in either the second or third Test Match.
So Malaysian Hockey went through the list of players fielded in all the matches, compared to the final list of 18 players selected for the qualifiers and the team that played the second Test Match comprised of 16 players that made the final 18, with the exception of keeper S. Kumar and Mohd Marhan.
Let the record show that we lost that match 5-1, our worst defeat in the five Test Matches. But since it is his head on the chopping block, we will not question his decision, albeit for one.
The decision to drop S. Baljit Singh (by the way a local daily got his pic mixed up with the other Baljit who made the final squad and is from Ipoh), is somewhat questionable. He played four out of the five matches and besides Mohd Amin Rahim, Baljit is the only direct flicker off a penalty corner that was in the final 25.
Should anything happen to Amin, we are an open textbook during the qualifiers as the opponents also realise what options are open to the Malaysian team should Amin be injured.
Below is the tem list for all the five matches played against the Aussies. Names in bold are players who made the final 18.
First Test Team
Khairulnizam, S. Baljit, Amin, Marhan, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, Razie, Mohd Noor Khairul, C. Baljit, Tengku Ahmad, Nabil Fiqri
Second Test Team
Khairulnizam, Ahmad Kazamirul, Amin, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, C. Baljit, Tengku Ahmad, Nabil Fiqri, Jivan Mohan, Kelvinder, Razie
Third Test Team
S. Baljit, Amin, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, C. Baljit, Tengku Ahmad, Nabil Fiqri, Jivan Mohan, Kelvinder, Razie, Mohd Abul Hakim
Fourth Test Team
S. Baljit, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, C. Baljit,Nabil Fiqri, Jivan Mohan, Kelvinder, Kumar, Ahmad Kazamirul, Mohd Nor Khairul, Mohd Amirullah, Marhan
Fifth Test Match
S. Baljit, Selvaraju, Madzli, Faisal, Sukri, Azlan, Jiwa, Nabil Fiqri, Kelvinder, Kumar, Ahmad Kazamirul, Mohd Nor Khairul, Mohd Amirullah, Marhan, Harvinder. Amin
