MHF drops injured Mirnawan

01/12/2001

THE Malaysian Hockey Federation Selection Committee yesterday decided not
to field Mirnawan Nawawi for the Champions Challenge on Dec 7-15 at the
National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The national skipper and most versatile player was floored by a muscle
tear in the calf of his left leg and the National Sports Institute
Director General Dr Ramlan Aziz recommended that he rest for at least
three weeks to recover from the injury.
"Mirnawan needs to rest for at least three weeks to recover from the
muscle tear on his left calf. I am glad that my recommendation was
endorsed by the MHF Selection Committee who also felt that his services
will be better needed for the World Cup in February," said Dr Ramlan.
The Selection Committee members, headed by MHF vice-president Tan Sri P.
Alagendra, deliberated for an hour at the National Hockey Stadium last
night and only made their decision after Dr Ramlan arried and informed
them about the seriousness of the injury.
"I am really disappointed that I will not be able to help my team-mates
in the Champions Challenge. But at the same time I respect the decision
taken by the Selection Committee because in the long run, I will benefit
from it," said Mirnawan who was almost in tears when he found out that he
will not be in the Challenge squad.
"I have been training very hard for the Challenge as it was an avenue
for me to discover how much I have improved since I last played
competitive hockey in the Azlan Shah Cup in August.
"But now, I will have to continue doing some light training and
hopefully be 100 per cent fit for the 2002 Kuala Lumpur World Cup in
February," said Mirnawan.
In July this year, Mirnawan suffered a muscle tear on his right leg calf
but has since recovered.
"It is really unfortunate that Mirnawan will not be able to play in the
Challenge because of injury. But it is not a great loss at this stage, as
the challenge is not the end goal of the national team.
"We have told him to rest because we will need his services more for the
World Cup next year," said Alagendra.
When asked who will skipper the team in Mirnawan's absence: "The
Selection Committee have yet to decide on that. We still have until the
managers meeting on Dec 6 to name the skipper," said Alagendra.
Other than The Boss, there were no surprises in the 18 players selected
for the Challenge which will see teams from Argentina, India, South
Africa, Japan and Belgium vying for the Champions spot which is an
automatic ticket to the Champions Trophy.
Six players who saw action in the Junior World Cup in Hobart were
selected for the challenge and they are: Chua Boon Huat, S. Shanker, Jiwa
Mohan, Azlan Misron, Tajol Rosli and K. Logan Raj.
Champions Challenge Team: Goalkeepers: Mohamed Nasihin Nubli, Roslan
Jamaluddin; defenders: Maninderjit Singh, Nor Azlan Bakar, Mohamed Madzli
Ikmar Chua Boon Huat, K. Gobinathan; midfielders: S. Shanker, K. Keevan
Raj, M. Jiwa , S. Kuhan, Azlan Misron, Shaiful Azli Rahman; forwards:
Mohamed Rodhanizam, Tajol Rosli, K. Logan Raj, Chairil Anwar, Abdul Razak
Saidin.
jugjet@nstp.com.my
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