KUALA LUMPUR: Shafiq Hassan must thank T. Perabu for withdrawing from the squad as the defender has made it into Sarjit Singh's 30-man squad preparing for next month's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (SAS).
Defender Perabu withdrew from the squad on the first day of centralised training on March 19, citing personal reasons.
During today's press conference in Bukit Jalil, Sarjit said that the 25-year-old Shafiq showed commitment during training.
"Shafiq is a team player, and this is a good attribute," said Sarjit.
Nurinsafi Sporting forward Nur Rahull Hrsikesa Thaitchana Muruthi, who quit his job in Penang to attend the training camp, was also included on the trimmed list.
Sarjit also included Faris Harizan, Mugni Kamal, Alfarico Lance Liau, and 18-year-old Adam Ashraf Johari, who all played in last year's Junior World Cup.
The other newcomers to the Speedy Tigers include Naaveennash Panicker Thevendran, Syawal Abdul Razak, Azimuddin Syakir Kamaruddin, and Tengku Nasrul Ikmal Tengku Abdul Rahim.
Syarman Mat Tee, Akhimullah Anuar Esook, and Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin, who plays for the national Hockey 5 team, were surprisingly short-listed.
The 30 players will be prepared accordingly for the SAS in Ipoh on May 4-1. They will also participate in the Nations Cup in Poland (May 31-June 9) and the Asian Champions Trophy in China (Sept 8-17).
Sarjit will trim his squad to 18 players after the friendly against New Zealand in Ipoh on May 1 for the SAS.
"Those who don't make it into Malaysia's SAS squad will be considered for the Nations Cup. We are not setting any target for the SAS. We need around 30 matches to assess the players.
"Our target is to win the Asian Games gold medal at the 2026 Nagoya edition and qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."
Sarjit disclosed that some players will undergo short attachments in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany for exposure.
"Many players from countries ranked in the top 12 are playing in Europe. We must encourage our players to do so as well."
The squad
Goalkeepers: Hafizuddin Othman, Zaimi Mat Deris, Adrian Andy Albert, Che Shahrul Azmi Che Saufi;
Defenders: Fariz Harizan, Syarman Mat Tee, Arif Syafie Ishak, Luqman Nul Hakim Ahmad Shukran, Syed Syafiq Syed Cholan, Amirul Hamizan Azahar, Najib Abu Hassan, Marhan Jalil, Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin, Shafiq Hassan;
Midfielders: Firti Saari, Mughni Kamal, Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi, Shello Silverius, Alfarico Lance Liau, Syawal Abdul Razak, Adam Ashraf Johari, Naaveennash Panicker Thevendran;
Forwards: Faizal Saari, Akhhimullah Anuar Esook, Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Muhajir Abdu Rauf, Azimuddin Syakir Kamaruddin, Nur Rahull Hrsikesa Thaitchana Muruthi, Tengku Nasrul Ikmal Tengku Abdul Rahim.