KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s doubles player, Muhammad Haikal Nazri, is not content with just being a squad filler at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) scheduled to take place at Setia Alam Convention Centre from Feb 13 to 18.
Instead, Muhammad Haikal, who partners Choong Hon Jian, is determined to seize the opportunity to play in at least one match to help the national team.
“At first, I didn’t expect to be selected because there are stronger pairs above me like Man-Tee (Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun). I only found out when I was in Indonesia… even then, my friends informed me.
“I will try to seize the chance to play because if there is an opportunity, I will certainly give my best performance. However, I leave it to the coaches to decide because they know best what is right for the national team,“ he said during a national squad training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara here recently.
Muhammad Haikal-Hon Jian were listed in the national badminton squad for BATC 2024 alongside pairs Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
In the men’s singles category, Malaysia will be represented by professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia and three national players, Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, and Eogene Ewe.
In this edition, Malaysia, the defending champions in the men’s team category, have been drawn with Taiwan, Kazakhstan, and Brunei.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Haikal said the ankle injury he suffered during the Thailand Masters last week is gradually improving.
According to Haikal, he has started training again, but still needs some time to fully recover.
“My injury wasn’t too severe, just a slight tear. But Alhamdulillah, my ankle is getting better and I can train. I’ve also been doing rehab to recover from the injury,“ he said. –Bernama
