Malaysia come into the Rabobank Hockey World Cup as the
number 2-ranked team in Asia. Their best finish in a World Cup was
fourth place in 1975, but after taking second place in the Sultan Azlan
Shah Cup in 2013 and beating their local Asian rivals soundly in recent
warm-up matches, the Malaysians will be hoping to perform well in the
Hague.
Placed 13th in the World Hockey Rankings, Malaysia
hockey is looking to improve upon that position, and the national hockey
confederation is heading a big push to develop hockey at junior and
international level. Despite cuts to their funding, the national team's
preparations for their Dutch endeavours will be thorough. Sharun Nabil
and his team will be competing in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the FIH
Champions Challenge 1 as they prepare to bring 'national glory to
Malaysia.'
