Lee Chong Wei warms up during a practice session ahead of the Thomas and Uber Cups badminton tournament in Bangkok. — AFP photo
BANGKOK: National men’s singles badminton chief coach Datuk Misbun Sidek is not concerned with the squad’s underdog status in the 2018 Thomas Cup Championships in Impact Arena which starts today.
As a former national player, he said what is important is the strong desire of the players to win.
“They (other teams) look at us as underdogs.
What is important is our players’ desire to win after going through the highest level of training,” he told Malaysian journalists after monitoring the training of national Thomas Cup players yesterday.
Malaysia will open their campaign against Russia tomorrow and Misbun said they may field a strong line-up, but national top shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei could be rested.
However, he said the final line-up would be made after discussions with other coaches.
After Russia, Malaysia will meet Algeria on Tuesday and Denmark the following day.
Meanwhile, national singles player Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin said he is ready for any role including taking Chong Wei’s spot.
“As a player, we need to be prepared for all kind of situations,” he said when asked on the possibility of taking Chong Wei’s place in the opener against Russia.
The Thomas Cup squad is led by Chong Wei with young players, Lee Zii Jia, Iskandar Zulkarnain and Leong Jun Hao.
The doubles line-up comprise Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, while Teo Ee Yi will pair with professional player Mohd Arif Latif.
— Bernama