Thomas Cup: Malaysia Given A Walkover, But No Warm-up Matches

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- The cancellation of the Malaysian tie against Nigeria today had deprived Malaysia of an actual match environment for the players, said national team manager Datuk Syed Abu Bakar Abdullah.

He said although Malaysia were given a walkover and awarded a 5-0 win without having to sweat it out, the national team's intention of making the Group B opening match as a warm-up session did not materialise.

"All the players led by Datuk Lee Chong Wei were very eager to take on their opponents but the flight problem encountered the African team was unexpected," he told reporters here Sunday.

He said after receiving an official confirmation from the Badminton World Federation on the cancellation of the tie, Malaysian players returned to their hotel to rest.

"However, they have to train tomorrow to maintain their stamina and the momentum of the tournament," he added.

National singles chief coach Rashid Sidek said three days without any competitive matches would not be healthy to any team.

Malaysia will be pitted against Japan on Tuesday to wrap-up the Group B challenge after getting a 5-0 victory over Nigeria today.

Rashid said he would field a strong line-up against Japan.

Nigeria are seeded 11th while Japan, sixth.

Malaysia's third singles player Muhd Hafiz Hashim said he was quite disappointed for not being able to prove his worth as he had made adequate preparation for the match.

"Anyway, the tie against Japan is more crucial," he added.

Source from BERNAMA

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