KUALA LUMPUR – As its name suggests, the recent Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships (BAMTC) delivered mixed outcomes for the Malaysian national team.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, Malaysia failed to reach the knockout stage, suffering a shock defeat to Hong Kong in a team event.
While many have called for harsh criticism, former international Datuk Razif Sidek believes there is little point in being too hard on a squad that lacked depth from the outset.
Malaysia were without several key players, including 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, two-time Olympic bronze medallists and former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, men’s doubles world number two Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, and mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei.
“Of course, losing to Hong Kong was a shock, but we must acknowledge that they fielded a strong team determined to beat Malaysia and reach the quarter-finals. We didn’t have any of our top names or regulars.
“Our backup players played well, but ultimately they were not good enough,” Razif admitted.
“In the match against Indonesia, our second-string players lost to theirs, which shows we’re not at that level yet. That’s fine – we accept the defeat and must focus on addressing areas for improvement.
“There may be concerns over team selection, but I still don’t think the squad deserves heavy criticism for the outcome,” he told Scoop when contacted.
Despite missing out on the top four, Malaysia will still qualify for the Sudirman Cup in April due to their high team ranking.
When asked about the competition’s relevance, given that many nations only send their second teams, Razif said: “We can’t compare ourselves to European teams.
“In Asia, we’re producing so many young players. Just look at China, Indonesia, India, Thailand, or even Malaysia – we have plenty of talent. Tournaments like this provide a valuable platform for players to compete in a team setting.
“In Europe, they don’t have this luxury and still have to rely on their best players. It’s a completely different situation.”
Comparing Malaysia’s performance to India, who fielded a strong team but still lost 3-0 to Japan in the quarter-finals, Razif added: “That result was another shock. India sent their best players yet fell short of the semi-finals. That’s just how it is – drawing simple conclusions isn’t always possible.” — February 15, 2025