KUALA LUMPUR: The role of World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei in the team is important since his first point would help inspire the rest of the team to do well during the Thomas Cup final in Wuhan, China says his coach Tey Seu Bock.
“Our target is to make the semifinals and the chances are there. Chong Wei’s role will be to collect the first point and inspire the rest against Denmark. “The draw was okay because we cannot avoid playing against any team in the top six. But we must first qualify for the quarterfinals,” he told reporters in Bukit Kiara here yesterday.
He said in the event that Liew Daren and Muhammad Hafiz Hashim are fielded in the Thomas Cup, they too must be physically and mentally prepared for the challenge.
Tey said the draw for this year’s Thomas Cup was more balanced and offers every team an opportunity to win the cup.
Meanwhile, national doubles coach Tan Kim Her said the performance of leading pair Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong had improved but he would only field the best pair against Denmark.
“In my view it will be better to give Goh V Shem/Lim Khim Wah the exposure since winning the group or finishing as runner-up is not important,” he said.
He added that though the performance of Koo/Tan was not consistent, that would not be used to gauge their capability. — Bernama