Coach keen to keep progressing in quadrant after Asian Cup victory
Zulkarnain said Malaysia is still learning the ropes in the relatively new quadrant event - which features four players a side - and has weaknesses in certain areas which must be improved on.
He stressed that his charges cannot afford to be complacent, especially with the Thai King's Cup (July) and the Thailand Sea Games (December) still left to play this year.
"We are still finding our rhythm in the quadrant and have to keep working on improving ourselves. Our serving and our double and triple blocking techniques are still relatively weak," said Zulkarnain yesterday.
"We are expecting Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar to be our main rivals at the King's Cup and the Sea Games. We know they are very strong sides so we have to be prepared."
Zulkarnain believes Malaysian players have a lot of potential in the quadrant event.
"The quadrant event is still new to us and we have been trying out many new strategies," he said.
"Our progress has been positive so far this year and we have a lot of players who are capable of performing well in this discipline. We will select the most suitable players according to the situation during the tournament."
Afifuddin Razali, Amirul Zazwan Amir, Norfaizzul Abd Razak and Shahalril Aiman Halim defeated Japan's Wataru Narawa, Toshinaka Naito, Yuki Sato and Ryota Haruhara 15-8, 15-11 in the Asian Cup quadrant final yesterday.
Malaysia's Noraizat Mohd Nordin and Aidil Aiman Azwawi, however, lost to Thailand (Boonkoom Tipwong-Sirisak Anuloon) 7-15, 15-10, 15-12 in the doubles final which was also played yesterday.
National doubles coach Aswadi Abdullah said Thai's versatile players gave them the winning edge in the match.
"Thailand's players are able to play in a variety of positions. They are equally adept as a tekong, feeder or a killer. This is what makes them strong," said Aswadi.
"We don't have many players capable of doing that yet. We have been slow (to develop such players) as we do not have that many doubles tournaments here in Malaysia yet."
Aswadi said he was nevertheless pleased with the fighting spirit shown by his players throughout the tournament.
The Asian Cup has now moved into the regu event which begins with the group stage today.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
MNCF on track for win-win solution with pro riders for SEA Games
PETALING JAYA: It could be a win-win situation for the parties concerned when the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) finalise their road cycling squad for the Thailand SEA Games next week. UCI continental squads Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) made it clear last month that they will pull their riders from the national team if their requests for funding, which were not met by the National Sports Council (NSC) previously, are not fulfilled.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Maba back young cagers to shine on Fiba Asia Cup stage
Team for future: The Under-16 national team posing after the flag handing ceremony. PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's rising basketball talents will have a golden chance to impress selectors for a place in the Thailand SEA Games squad when they take the court at the Fiba Under-16 Women's Asia Cup, to be held at the Karisma Arena in Seremban from Sept 13-28. Drawn in Group B of Division Two, Malaysia will face Indonesia, Hong Kong and Tonga. The tournament offers the perfect stage for the cagers to prove themselves while aiming to lift Malaysia's standing in the region. The women's team last shone at the SEA Games in 2017, but have since only managed bronze, making the hunt for fresh impact all the more pressing. At the national flag presentation on Thursday (Aug 21), Malaysian Basketball Association (Maba) deputy president Datuk Wong Kun Yew urged the players to rise to the occasion. 'I hope you will achieve excellent results and bring pride to Malaysia and Maba,' said Kun Yew. Maba deputy secretary Shen Sieng Hsing highlighted the tournament's importance beyond SEA Games selection. 'This tournament is held once every two years. If Malaysia win the Division B title, they will be promoted to Division A in the Under-18 category in 2028,' he said. Also present at the ceremony were Maba deputy president Datuk Lee Yin Fong, secretary-general Chan Ki Sian, team manager Lau Chin Chuan and representatives from sponsors Milo, showing strong backing for the young cagers. Division One Group A: Australia, Taiwan, South Kora, The Philippines Group B: Japan, New Zealand, China, Syria Division Two Group A: Samoa, India, Iran, Uzbekistan. Group B: Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Tonga.
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Adam Adli: Sports Ministry supports use of naturalised athletes but local talent remains priority
KUALA LUMPUR: The Sports Ministry does not object to the use of naturalised or heritage players to strengthen the national team but still prioritises the development of local talent, said Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim. He said the recruitment of such athletes is subject to strict conditions, including obtaining citizenship approval from the Home Ministry and complying with the criteria set by international sports bodies and their respective national sports associations. According to him, the approach of using naturalised or heritage athletes has proven to have a positive impact and plays a role in boosting national sports performance. "For example, on June 10, the national football team recorded a 4-0 victory over Vietnam, which at the time was ranked 109th in the world, in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. In that match, three naturalised players were listed with the national squad. "The last time the national team defeated Vietnam was in 2014. The presence of naturalised and heritage players has been seen to help improve the quality of local football while also raising the team's performance," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today. He was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota), who asked about the ministry's policy on using naturalised players in the national team. Nevertheless, Adam Adli said the Sports Ministry maintains that the recruitment of naturalised players must not undermine the development of local talent. "Each NSA (National Sports Association) must take into account the conditions set by the relevant authorities so that a balance can be achieved between developing local talent and improving national sports performance through naturalised players," he said. Replying to Saifuddin's supplementary question on the status of the Malaysian Basketball Association's application to recruit two naturalised players and one heritage player in preparation for the SEA Games in Thailand in December, he said KBS has no objection to this, but the final decision lies with the Home Ministry. — BERNAMA
