NATIONAL men's doubles shuttler Goh Sze Fei is ready to step up to the plate at the Thomas Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark on Oct 3-11.
Sze Fei and his partner Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were the last minute inclusion in the 10-man squad, after 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medallists, Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong skipped the tournament due to Covid-19 concerns.
Currently ranked No 28 in the world, Sze Fei-Izzuddin are the third doubles in the squad behind World No 9 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and World No 15, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi.
Sze Fei admitted yesterday that the call-up came as a surprise to him.
"Of course just by looking at the ranking, everyone would have expected V Shem-Wee Kiong to make the team.
"However, due to circumstances, they decided to skip the tournament, allowing Izzuddin and I to make the cut.
"It definitely would have been different if V Shem-Wee Kiong were part of the team but I wouldn't say not having them is a huge loss either.
"The Thomas Cup is a team event. Anything can happen.
"We're going in as underdogs, that puts more pressure on top teams like Indonesia," said Sze Fei.
With very little to show apart from reaching the 2017 Malaysia Masters final, Sze Fei-Izzuddin will want to prove they are not merely passengers in the squad.
"I did not expect to make the squad.
"But Izzuddin and I have been training hard since we made the comeback after the MCO.
"When we got the news of our inclusion, it fired us up. We want to shoulder this responsibility and do our country proud," he added.
Sze Fei has also placed his trust in BAM to keep the players safe and healthy throughout the competition in Denmark.
"As players, we focus on what is demanded of us... our full commitment during training and competition.
"The rest we leave it to BAM," said Sze Fei.