Nor Saiful's heart is still in the game

23/02/2002

HE will be sitting among the thousands of fans at the National Hocky
Stadium in Bukit Jalil when Malaysia play their opening match tomorrow,
and this special fan will be praying hard that his former team triumphs
against all odds.
The 1998 Utrecth World Cup skipper Nor Saiful Zaini has retired from
internnational duty but his heart is still very much in the game and he
has picked out one man which can make the difference in the squad.
Skipper Mirnawan Nawawi.
"He has had a bad spell after the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Injuries have
forced him to play at a slower rate, but now that he has fully recovered,
I know my former teammate can make the difference in Malaysia's
challenge," said Nor Saiful after attending a coaching clinic organised by
the International Hockey Federation at the Concorde Kuala Lumpur.
In his heyday, the speedy Nor Saiful was a "terror" and he was
instrumental in landing Malaysia the Commonwealth Games silver in 1998.
"I have been following the team closely and I am amazed with the amount
of preparation they did in the run-up to the World Cup. Now all they have
to do is stay cool and play according to Paul Lissek's plans and it will
not be impossible for them to beat any team in their group."
Nor Saiful believes in his former team-mates and asked them to forget
about the critics who have written them off even before them played a
single match.
"Let them play first before bringing out the knives, it is usseless to
throw accusations at the team just because they did not preform too well
in the run-up (Champions Challenge and the Six-Nation). This kind of
pressure will not do any good to their quest of finishing better than the
1975 hockey team," said Nor Saiful.
The word of caution from the former skipper is while concentrating on
beating Australia, South korea and India; they must not forget about the
teams which can derail their plans - Cuba, Poland and Japan.
"They must not enter the pitch on an overconfident mode when playing
against lesser opponents, because this is the World Cup and all the teams,
regardless of their preparations, can cause upsets."
On the first match against Australia, Nor Saiful said Malaysia have what
it takes to beat the Australians who denied Malaysia a gold medal in the
Commonwealth Games.
"The pressure is on Australia to deliver because they will entre the
pitch with the favourites tag hanging like a weight around their necks.
This will be an advantage to the Malaysian side and they must capatalise
on it. I also believe that the crowd support during the Australian match
can turn the tide on the Aussies."
He will be watching from the stands, and it will be a shame if the
national team let down their biggest fan.
(END)