Strongest line-up for must-win tie against Thais Star Online MALAYSIA will have to field a team at full strength in their final Group B tie against Thailand tonight. They have to have to beat the Thais to join defending champions Indonesia as the semi-final qualifiers from the group. Both Malaysia and Thailand will go into the tie with wins over Germany and defeats by Indonesia. Malaysia are the favourites to win the tie but a Thai upset cannot be ruled out. The result of the tie will depend very much on the outcome of the first two matches – the first singles and first doubles. Wong Choong Hann will play the first singles against Boonsak Polsana, who has beaten him twice – in the first round of the Malaysian Open and in the Asia Cup last year. The Thai number one has not had a smooth ride in this Finals thus far but he is expected to give a strong display in his team’s bid to take the fight to Malaysia. In the second match, world number one Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng will face their first real test against former SEA Games champions Pramote Teerawiwatana-Tesana Panvivas. The Malaysians were the losers in the Asia Cup but they turned the tables on the experienced Thais in the Thomas Cup qualifying tournament in Melbourne in February. For Malaysia, defeat in both these matches will put them under tremendous pressure. And they hope they won’t have to live dangerously against the Thais. Singles coach Indra Gunawan is optimistic over Malaysia’s chances to win the tie and he was confident that the team will be able to win all three singles matches. “We did not field our best players against Indonesia and the 1-4 defeat will spur us to give better performances tomorrow,” said Indra yesterday. “We cannot take Thailand lightly. If we lose, it’s all over for us. Winning is everything for us tomorrow. It will be good if we can win 5-0 because it will be provide a huge boost to the players’ confidence for the semi-finals.” Skipper Ong Ewe Hock’s hopes of winning all his matches in his fifth Thomas Cup Finals outing was crushed in his first match. He was not fielded against Germany and his match against Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat on Sunday ended in disappointment. Victory over Anupap Thiraratsakul tonight will help him regain his confidence. Malaysia are expected to give Mohd Roslin Hashim his first run out in the Finals. On paper, Roslin should notch a win over young Jakrapan Thanathiratham in the third singles match – the last of the tie. It will be an important match for Roslin, who is featuring in his third Finals. His younger brother, Hafiz, and Lee Tsuen Seng have performed up to expectations when they were fielded. Hafiz played against Germany and Indonesia while Tsuen Seng played against the Germans. Roslin cannot afford to give a mediocre performance against Jakrapan. Otherwise, he will have no part to play in the team if Malaysia advance. Doubles coach Park Joo-bong will be counting on Chong Ming-Choon Eng to deliver a point. “The first singles and first doubles will be crucial. Here, the Thais are capable of winning points and I hope the pressure on the team will end with Chong Ming-Choon Eng winning their match,” said Joo-bong. Lee Wan Wah will get the chance to make up for his uninspiring performances against Indonesia. He partnered Chong Ming in the match against Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto and they were thrashed 0-7, 7-4, 7-4. Against Thailand, he will team up with regular partner Choong Tan Fook and if they can give the same performances as they did in the Japan Open last month, they can troop out winners. In the Japan Open, Tan Fook-Wan Wah made it to the final. But they had to concede a walkover to Chong Ming-Choon Eng because of injury to Wan Wah. Thailand believe that they have every chance to upset Malaysia. Manager Sompol Kookasamkit said that his team had yet to show their true potential in the Finals thus far and he hoped that the players would bring out their best tonight. “Boonsak and the rest of the players have not been playing well. We had a pep talk with them and they are all fired up to take the fight to Malaysia. Here, our opponents have not seen the best from our players yet,” said Sompol.
A must win tie indeed Hi Kwun, I see you scour the Star as well for juicy stories... Anyway, the crucial ties are the first two. If Malaysia clinch the 1st sngles and 1st doubles, they will be home free for a 5-0 whitewash. I they loose one or both, then it will be risky...very risky indeed. The Thais have it in them if they play very well, and the Malaysians play below par. Therefore, I hope the Malaysians show full respect to their opponents today, and do what they have to do when they go out for battle in 4 hours time.
Star IMHO has some excellent reporter. i have not seen them being biased at all, they are very local oriented, but definitely not biased, in fact, sometimes they are outright critical of their own players. and besides that, Star has always shown excellent journalism.
Whitewash............ M'sia does it!!! Whitewash of T'land. Way ta go. Park must be beaming......he'll probably survive in M'sia now....
Hi Kwun and Cheung... Yes, I agree that the Star is unbiased in their reporting...New Straits Times as well, here is the link: http://www.nstp.com.my/Current_News/NST/index_cache New Straits Times can be very critical as well, if the players do not perform up to standard. There is a reporter there by the name of Boopathy, she used to be an ex-national player, so I can assume she knows what she is talking about. Malaysia today showed respect to their opponents, therefore they could play to their true potential. Korea has the strength on paper, but because they have build an illusion around them prior to the tournament that they are superior...they lost. This is exactly the repeat of KL 2000, just that Malaysia was Korea then. Prior to KL 2000, the media and BAM psyed-up the nation to such an extent that everyone was fooled into the actual ability of the players. Everyone expected Malaysian team to do very well, and our opponents helpfully stoked the artificial fire that was our ego. When the truth came out with the crashing of the Malaysian team to our supposedly "weaker" opponents, the whole badminton community in the country was devastated, and the players themselves badly shaken and affected by the fall back down to earth and reality. The lesson this time... Do not speak too much before a tournament, Let your actions speak intead of words, Plan your strategy based on the opponents and Don't reveal all your cards until the end. Oh yes...and don't forget to remember why you are playing in the Thomas cup in the first place
