the Asian games. Instantly becoming a national hero in the process. It was a moment the whole of Malaysia was waiting for. Malaysia were also many people’s
favourite for the final as well. Pakistan, the other finalists, had had a patchy ride. They lost to India in the pool matches and could only scrape to the final via a penalty strokes win over the Koreans in the semis. Both the sides were under great
pressure. Though Pakistan easily enjoyed the most impressive Asiad pedigree with seven golds but the one- time Brazilians of hockey were without any title, global or continental, since 1994. In the case of the Asian Games, they hadn’t reached the final since 1990. Added to that there was the prize of direct Olympic qualification for the winner, which racked up the tension for both sides. It all went to the Malaysian’s heads
– quite literally. The entire team, barring Sikh player Baljit Singh, shaved their heads in a practice called ‘nazar’ to ward off evil spirits in the final. Unfortunately, it proved to be all too much for them. They put in their worst performance of the games, going down 0-2. Pakistan didn’t produce anything extraordinary but Malaysian were simply overawed by the occasion and there were numerous unforced errors throughout. Perhaps the most costly was the failure to even stop the ball off two of the three penalty corners that came their way – the culprit none other than skipper Mohammad Madzli. Still a first silver after a participation
of more than half a century was some achievement. The team was very well- received on their return home. International achievements aside,
the Malaysian domestic hockey scene is also very colourful. The Malaysian Hockey League is highly competitive and keenly followed. Many foreign stars have adorned the league. These include such high profile names as Dhanraj Pillay (India’s best forward of the past decade and a half) and the great drag flicker Sohail Abbas, international hockey’s highest goal getter. Little wonder with such a galaxy of stars the final often draws crowds in excess of 10,000 fans. The season 2010-11 has seen an
unbelievable spree of foreign signings. A total of 27 players from India, Pakistan, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand and Bangladesh are plying their trade in the MHL this season. One team, Yayasan Negeri Sembilan (YNS), can even take the field without a single local player – they have 11 foreign players on their roll, six Indians, four Pakistanis and a Bangladeshi. The Pakistani quartet, Shakeel Abbasi,
M.Imran,
S.Kumar (right) receives the award for Asia’s beat player of 2010 from Sultan Azlan Shah
Waquas Akbar and M.Rashid, were all members of the Guangzhou Asian Games gold medal winning side. There are big Indian names as well in former captain Prabhjot Singh and veteran striker Deepak Thakur. YNS have even roped in an Indian coach, Mashu Karan. Another side, Nur Insafi, are close behind with eight foreigners. The man who is widely acknowledged
as the real spirit behind Malaysian hockey is Sultan Azlan Shah, a member of the Royal family and Raja of Perak State. Azlan Shah also had a stint as the King of Malaysia for five years from 1989 to 1994 – the country has a unique arrangement of kingship being rotated between members of the royal family. Sultan Azlan Shah remained an active
hockey player well into his sixties and an important event of his birthday used to be a hockey match participated by the Shah himself. He has just been returned unopposed
as president of the Asian Hockey Federation, at the annual congress of the AHF this January. He has held this office since 1994. The AHF also confers an annual Sultan Azlan Shah Award for contribution towards Asian hockey. Sultan Azlan Shah is also an executive board member of FIH where he has also served as the vice president in recent past. He was the president of the Malaysian Hockey Federation until 2005. In recognition for his great love and
services for the game of hockey, a tournament titled, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup has been held in Malaysia since 1983. The tournament has become almost a yearly affair since 1994 and is now the most highly regarded invitational hockey event. The Asian
nations, Pakistan, India and South Korea along with Malaysia’s ‘neighbors’ Australia and New Zealand have been the most frequent participants but most of the other hockey powerhouses including Germany, Holland and England, have made their way to the tournament at times. In the AHF congress of January
2011, apart from the re-election of Sultan Azlan Shah, there was other good news for Malaysian hockey. Tan Sri
P.Alagendra was also re-elected unopposed to the secretary general post of the AHF. Like Sultan Azlan Shah, he has also held the position since 1994. In addition, senior assistant
coach Tai Beng Hai is now an International Hockey Federation (FIH) high performance coach as well as development coach. Former International Lim Chiow Chuan also qualified as a high performance coach. FIH high performance committee
secretary Tayyab Ikram, said: “It is indeed a proud moment for Malaysian hockey as these two coaches have shown that they have what it takes to reach a high level in their field.” But the proudest Malaysian
achievement to come out from the AHF congress was the naming of goalkeeper S.Kumar as the Asia’s player of the year 2010. Like the silver at the Asian Games, this was also another first. No Malaysian player had ever been bestowed with this honour, although Tengku Tajuddin had won the best young player in 2008. So the Malaysian hockey is kicking on p
all fronts.
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