KUALA LUMPUR: National senior hockey team coach A. Arul Selvaraj selected 10 players from the recent Junior World Cup (JWC) to train with his men, but only eight showed up as two had other obligations.
Seventeen-year-old midfielder Adam Ashraf Johari opted to concentrate on his SPM preparations while JWC skipper Faris Harizan declined due to personal matters.
"I selected 10 of the best from the JWC squad to train with my men because I want to give them a chance to represent Malaysia in the Oman Olympics Qualifier.
"The eight that accepted the offer have an equal chance to play for the country in two weeks' time. They need to show something special to warrant a spot with the seniors.
"I have selected a player only five days after he trained with me, and it can happen again as these eight have shown great determination and work rate," said Arul.
Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi, 20, was selected for the Bhubaneswar World Cup in January, and he scored the winner in a tense 3-2 battle against Japan in a classification match. He is also among the eight from the JWC squad.
The eight JWC players are Andywalfian Jeffrynus, Shafiq Ikhmal Daniel, Azmil Muizzuddin Misron, Che Nur Aqilrullah Khairulzi, Alfarico Lance Liau, Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi, Shamir Rizmi Shamsul and Mughni Kamal.
For the Oman Qualifier starting on Jan 15, Malaysia, Great Britain, Pakistan and China are in Group A while Group B consists of world champions Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Chile. Only the medallists qualify for the Paris Olympics from July 27-Aug 9. In Muscat, Malaysia will face China on Jan 15, world No. 5 Britain on Jan 16 and Pakistan on Jan 18.