JAKARTA – National men’s hockey squad manager Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi does not want his players to underestimate Oman’s ability when both nations clash in the opening match of Group B of the 2022 Asia Cup here, tomorrow.
Instead, he wants the players to go all out in every single match of the tournament.
Former national captain Mirnawan said the middle east team had performed well during their 2022 Asian games qualification matches in Bangkok, with Malaysia last facing them in 2018.
“We should not underestimate what Oman can do. What we can be assured of is our players will start the match with three points being the objective,” he told reporters here today.
The 2022 Men’s Asia Cup opens its curtain tomorrow until June 1.
Malaysia are in Group B with Bangladesh, South Korea, and Oman while India, Indonesia, Japan and Pakistan will play in Group A.
Malaysia’s match with Oman starts at 11.45 am (West Indonesia time) at the Gelora Bung Karno Hockey Stadium.
To strengthen preparations, Mirnawan said the national squad played a friendly match with Japan last Friday apart from having undergone four training sessions here.
Although Malaysia is highly ranked, the players must be wary of threats posed by other teams, he added.
“Once the tournament kicks off, team rankings mean nothing, and only performance counts. I expect a very competitive tournament this time around,” he said.
