September 14, 2018 @ 11:31am
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will rest six regulars for the Darwin International which will be held on Sept 18-22 at the Marrara Hockey Stadium in Australia.
The tournament will also see world No 1 Australia, No 2 Argentina and Asian Games champions Japan in action.
And the six who replaced the stalwarts are goalkeepeer Hafizuddin Othman, Najib Hassan, Ashran Hamsani, Ramadan Rosli, Haziq Samsul and Norsyafiq Sumantri.
The tournament will also see coach Stephen van Huizen opting out, as he will be attending to a family member's medical situation.
Amin Rahim will be the chief coach, assisted by Nasihin Nubli and Technical Director Terry Walsh.
The six who will stay back and undergo rehabilitation are Sukri Abdul Mutalib, Faizal Saari, Marhan Jalil, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Nabil Fiqri and S. Kumar.
Amin, a former international, took up the challenge with an open heart.
"The six were left out because some of them are carrying injuries after the Asian Games, while some were rested ahead of the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman and the World Cup.
"Looking at the silver lining, this is a good chance for the six fringe players to fight for a spot in the national team in a high-octane International Friendly," said Amin.
MALAYSIA: Hairi Rahman, Hafizuddin Othman, Razie Rahim (skipper), Syed Syafiq Cholan, Azri Hassan, Faiz Helmi Jali, Najib Abu Hassan,
Meor Azuan Hassan, Fitri Saari, Joel Samuel Van Huizen, Ashran Hamsani, Amirol Aideed Arshad, Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi, Ramadan Rosli,
Firhan Ashari, Shahril Saabah, Haziq Samsul, Norsyafiq Sumantri.
