Malaysia finalise 2019 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup squad

Malaysia head coach Roelant Oltmans has finalised his squad for the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

The Dutchman trimmed down his initial list of 28 players being called up for a centralised training in Kuantan earlier this month to 18.

Notably, seven players who competed at the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup, including the injured Sukri Mutalib and evergreen goalkeeper S. Kumar, did not make the cut for the tournament, taking place from March 23rd to 30th in Ipoh.

Among the replacements were youngsters Arif Syafie Ishak and Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal.

Here is the final list of the 18 players that will represent the Malaysian Tigers for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2019. All the best and pray for their success! pic.twitter.com/2co5s9n6yS
— MHC (@hockeymalaysia) March 18, 2019

"We have had a very good training camp in Kuantan recently and the new players who have been called up deserve to be given an opportunity to prove their abilities on the international stage," Oltmans was quoted saying on the Malaysian Hockey Confederation's official website.

"It is a very good environment to have seven different faces from the 2018 World Cup squad at the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, including young players Arif Syafie Ishak and Azrai Aizad.

"They have proven their abilities at the training camp and I see these two young players have a bright future, so I am excited to see how they handle the pressure of playing in international matches."

The six-team tournament, featuring hosts Malaysia, Canada, India, Japan, Poland and South Korea, is part of the national team's preparation for the 2019 FIH Series Finals next month.

India have lifted the trophy four times and shared it once with South Korea, who have won it once.

As for the host nation, the Speedy Tigers have never emerged victorious at their home tournament, finishing as runners-up on five different occasions.

MALAYSIA 2019 SULTAN AZLAN SHAH CUP SQUAD IN FULL

Goalkeepers: Hairi Abdul Rahman, Zaimi Mat Deris Defenders: Razie Abdul Rahim, Faiz Helmi Jali, Najmi Farizal Jazlan, Arif Syafie Ishak, Luqman Nul Hakim Ahmad Shukran Midfielders: Marhan Jalil, Fitri Saari, Amirol Aideed Arshad, Meor Muhamad Azuan Hassan, Ashran Hamsani, Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi Forwards: Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil, Firhan Ashari, Faizal Saari, Norsyafiq Sumantri