KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men's senior hockey team fell 3-2 to New Zealand in the first friendly in Auckland on Sunday.
Malaysia will play South Korea next on Dec 13, and complete the tour with three more friendlies with the hosts.
Razie Rahim scored off a penalty corner while Faizal Saari got a field goal in their defeat.
"We are actually here to get back the team's structure after the Asian Games and I believe everybody did well in the first friendly. The scoreline is secondary as we prepare for the Oman Olympic Qualifier," said Malaysia team manager Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi.
The Oman Olympic Qualifier will be held in Muscat on Jan 15-21 and the top-three teams qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Malaysia failed at the Hangzhou Asian Games when they finished sixth, but still qualified for Oman.
The eight men's teams that will compete in Muscat are Great Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Canada, Chile and China.
Malaysia will meet China in their Group A opener on Jan 15, followed by Great Britain on Jan 16 and Pakistan on Jan 18.
Shahril Saabah, who last played nine months ago and was injured, is also in New Zealand but only for training as well as recovery purposes.
"We have 21 players for the friendly, and since we did not want to stretch Shahril who just came out of recovery, he will train with the team but not play any matches," said Mirnawan.
Group B consists of world champions Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Chile.
New Zealand Tour: Dec 13 Malaysia v South Korea; Dec 14: Malaysia v New Zealand; Dec 16: Malaysia v New Zealand; Dec 17: Malaysia v New Zealand.