Badminton: BAM to decide on Zakry-Fairuz
2010/06/04
K.M. Boopathy
boopathy@nst.com.my
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Zakry Latif (front) and Fairuzizuan Tazari under orders to win the India Open.
IF it was based on merit, men's doubles Zakry Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari would not be on the flight to Paris to compete in the World Championships on Aug 23-29 but they could still be spared by the BA of Malaysia (BAM). The BAM executive council, who will meet before the council meeting today, is also expected to decide whether to reprimand Fairuz for retaliating against fans' taunts during the Thomas Cup Finals last month.
Lately, BAM has been taking a soft stand when it comes to making tough decisions and if the trend continues, Fairuz could be let off the hook.
World No 1 Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah (World No 12) and Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen (World No 14) are the top three pairs and should be included for the World Championships.
However, BAM has the right to include Zakry-Fairuz (World No 22) in place of Teik Chai-Bin Shen but it will be tough to justify the pair's inclusion.
BAM general manager Kenny Goh said the decision rests with the BAM executive council which has obtained the views of doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky.
"BAM has yet to decide whether or not to include Zakry-Fairuz for the World Championships.
"But it should be finalised at the exco and council meetings tomorrow (today)," said Goh.
"Rexy's views will also be taken into consideration before deciding on the fate of Fairuz-Zakry."
Rexy has yet to recommend the punishment, if any, for Fairuz regarding his unruly behaviour in the Thomas Cup and has now placed the struggling pair under Rosman Razak.
Rexy's ultimatum to Zakry-Fairuz is to win the India Open which begins on Tuesday which they should win hands down as the tournament has not attracted a single top pair with compatriots Ong Soon Hock-Hoon Thien How their strongest challengers.
Setting such a low standard to qualify for the World Championships only shows how much Zakry-Fairuz's performance has slipped.