KUALA LUMPUR: A record will be set when Malaysia play Cambodia in their AFF Suzuki Cup Group A opener tomorrow.
Two Malaysian players have featured in four successive AFF Championships starting with winning the tournament title back in 2010.
Khairul Fahmi and Norshahrul Idlan Talaha are set to play in their fifth consecutive AFF Cup, making them the most decorated members of the team.
While Khairul Fahmi has been consistently in the team, the inclusion of Norshahrul came as a shock even to the player himself.
"Actually I didn't even expect to get into the squad for the AFF this year," said Norshahrul.
"I only had intention to do well for Pahang and not think about anything else.
"I thought no one was looking at me any more and when the call came from the national team, it was quite a surprise to me."
The 32-year-old was called up by Tan Cheng Hoe during last month's international break where he was used in the friendlies against Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan.
Deployed in the number 10 role, Norshahrul was given the creative licence behind captain Zaquan Adha. And the former did not disappoint with his performance against Kyrgyzstan, earning rave reviews.