FORMER international Ong Ewe Hock feels that the national badminton team are not good enough to reach the final of the Thomas Cup in Bangkok on May 8-15.
The 49-year-old does not think that the current squad have what it takes to contend for the trophy.
Ewe Hock's pessimism is understandable, considering Malaysia are only seeded fifth-eighth in the 16-team tournament.
The favourites are defending champions Indonesia, Japan, Denmark and Taiwan.
However, Ewe Hock believes the team should aim for nothing less than the semi-finals.
The last time Malaysia secured a top-four finish and stood on podium was at the 2016 Kunshan edition.
"If Malaysia can make the semi-finals, then I'll be very happy already," said Ewe Hock, who helped Malaysia reach the final on three occasions in Jakarta (1994), Hong Kong (1998) and Guangzhou (2022).
"Sorry to say, our chances of making the final is not that promising. I don't mean to undermine the team, but it's an assessment based on the world ranking.
"The players' ranking is always the best to measure the overall team strength. Obviously, the higher the better.
"For Malaysia, we will likely count on (Lee) Zii Jia and Aaron (Chia)-(Soh) Wooi Yik for points in the opening singles and doubles.
"(Ng) Tze Yong could play a key role, but he is inconsistent."
Ewe Hock urged the BA Malaysia (BAM) to set a realistic target and be accountable for it.
"BAM can set any target they want, but they must make sure that it's realistic and achievable," stressed Ewe Hock.
"Once the target is set, they must try to meet it at all cost. If the team fail, then the BAM have to be responsible for the outcome."
The Zii Jia-led Malaysia won the Badminton Asia Team Championships against a weak field as most countries sent their second-stringers for the tournament in Shah Alam recently.
The former All-England finalist was speaking to reporters after launching the inaugural badminton team tournament named after him — Piala Ong Ewe Hock Redone Challenge trophy.
The meet, comprising 20 teams, will be held in Penang on March 12-13. The champions will take home RM10,000 and the runners-up RM5,000.
"Among those who will be signing up are former World No 1 Roslin Hashim, Foo Kok Keong and Goh V Shem," he added.