SHAH ALAM – National badminton coaching director Rexy Mainaky likened the absence of independent men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia in today’s Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) final against China to the loss of football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in a critical match.
Zii Jia’s recurring breathing difficulties resurfaced, sidelining him for today’s final, resulting in Malaysia’s defeat of 0-3 to China’s second team and handing them their first BATC title since its inception in 2016.
The world number 10 shuttler missed three out of six games in the BATC tournament, including the quarter-final clash against Singapore on Friday due to his sinus issues.
Rexy said that the absence of Zii Jia in the final undeniably impacted the team’s performance, which may have boosted their opponents’ morale when facing Malaysia.
“To be honest, if we had our full team, we would have had the chance to become the champions. China was not expecting such a lineup, as they would have been expecting to meet Lee Zii Jia in the first match.
“I have a feeling that China’s morale and confidence may have increased after seeing the lineup. And for us, losing Zii Jia in the match today is equivalent to losing Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in a football team.
“Definitely, it has brought a huge impact to the team. But at the end of the day, it was a team event, and we had to move on mentally and make sure that our team mentality was not disrupted because of his absence.
“However, we need to give credit to China’s performance in the final as they played really well under the pressure that we kept giving them,” said Rexy after the prize-giving ceremony at Setia Convention Centre today.
Reflecting on the tournament and looking ahead, Rexy added he was delighted with the team’s overall performance and emphasised the importance of building a cohesive unit for future competitions, including the upcoming Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China.
“Overall, if we look at this team that played in the final, I think that they gave their very best. And of course, it was disappointing for the fans to see us lose in front of them, but this is the reality of sports; we can’t predict who will win and lose.
“Based on our performance at the BATC, we have the potential to become the champions of the Thomas Cup, but for that, we need to build a solid team first.
“Players should control their ego and stay focused and be patriotic if they want to excel in tournaments like the Thomas Cup. Solid in the sense of players joining training camps and staying focused. Not saying that we don’t have it in our team, but we want to make it better.
“We will discuss and analyse which players to call up for the Thomas Cup, and for now, let them focus on their tournaments first, and we will decide on the call-up soon,” Rexy added.
Meanwhile, national men’s singles coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock commended Leong Jun Hao’s performance and firmly believes in Ng Tze Yong’s potential qualification for the Paris Olympics once he recuperates from his back muscle injury.
“Jun Hao has been amazing in this tournament, stepping up in the absence of our main players.
“We will focus on the recovery of the players who are injured now and make sure we bring them to the court after rehabilitation. Without enough training and rehab, there’s no point in them playing in tournaments.
“Tze Yong can qualify for the Olympics; it’s just that he has to focus on his recovery and chase Olympic points based on the tournaments that he will participate in. I have trust in him, and I believe that he can do it,” Seu Bock said.
Malaysia were the champions of the previous BATC edition held in 2022, defeating Indonesia 3-0.
The setback, however, did not overshadow Malaysia’s qualification for the forthcoming Thomas Cup finals in China from April 28 to May 5 for being a top-four team in BATC. – February 18, 2024