AN OPPORTUNITY: Chance for newcomers to senior squad to learn from the best
MALAYSIA have nothing to lose but much to gain from the Azlan Shah Cup which starts in Ipoh today.
With seven juniors to blood, the Malaysians would be hard-pressed to beat six Olympic-bound teams starting with South Korea today.
Argentina, India, Pakistan, Britain and New Zealand are also all champions at one level or another, and coach Tai Beng Hai should consider himself lucky if his charges finish in the middle.
The seven juniors have just had a taste of glory by winning the Junior Asia Cup, but it would be foolish to expect too much from them against more seasoned teams.
And that is why Malaysia should go into every match looking to learn from some of the best players in the world who have assembled in Ipoh.
The team to watch are Britain, who started preparing for the London Olympics during the 2005 Junior World Cup in Rotterdam.
India are also serious about making an impact in the Olympics, and if they do make the grade in Ipoh, it would be courtesy of their penalty corner machine Sandeep Singh.
As for Pakistan, the Asian Games champions, their reputation for creating upsets is almost legendary and any team who take them lightly would end up losing,
FIXTURES -- Today: Pakistan v Argentina (4pm), New Zealand v India (6pm), Korea v Malaysia (8pm).
Tomorrow: New Zealand v Argentina (4pm), Britain v Malaysia (6pm), Korea v India (8pm).
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