THE worst position to be in a hockey team is the No 2 goalkeeper. But Hamiz Ahir is not the least perturbed.
That is because his rival, No 1 goalkeeper Shahrul Azmi, known as "Ah Moi", has performed beyond expectations in the ongoing Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
When one is the second choice, and the No 1 performs brilliantly, chances are that the former will never get to see action in Bhubaneswar, unless injuries creep in.
Shahrul Azmi, from Negri Sembilan, went to Bhubaneswar on a 50-50 chance of becoming No 1, but right after the first save against Chile, he went on to help Malaysia qualify for the quarter-finals.
"I have no qualms about warming the bench in all three matches so far, as we are a team and need to support each other in any way we can. I support Shahrul, whom we all call Ah Moi, and there is no animosity among us," said Hamiz who hails from Melaka.
Goalkeepers coach Roslan Jamaluddin, who himself had faced a similar situation in numerous tournaments as there were Nasihin Nubli and S. Kumar to keep him on his toes, is well aware of the predicament of being No 2.
"We have reached the quarter-finals stage and face France who have shown that they are really good in turning half-chances into goals, so I was glad to get some time with both the keepers today.
"I brushed up their basics again yesterday, as well as what to do inside the six-metre area when under attack.
"We also conducted penalty corner defence as our opponents have a very good flicker," said Roslan after a morning session at the Kalinga Stadium.
Shahrul will have to shut out Frenchman Timothée Clement, as he scored a total of eight goals in three matches and seven were off penalty corners.
France can also count on Corentin Sellier, who has scored five field goals, and has a knack of converting from difficult situations as he keeps his cool in the semi-circle.
Shahrul, who was named as FIH Man of the Match in the 1-1 draw against Belgium, said: "I am happy that I have good support from my teammates as well as coaching staff, and will give my best yet again in the quarter-finals against France."
A man of few words, Ah Moi's action on the pitch speaks loud as Malaysia beat Chile 2-1, drew 1-1 with Belgium and beat South Africa 4-3 to be in the top eight among 16 teams.