KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men’s dodgeball team marked a historic debut at the 2016 Dodgeball World Cup by clinching the runner-up spot at Manchester, England, on Sunday.
The squad which faced host England, lost 3-14 in the final that was played at Manchester’s National Basketball Arena.
A Team Malaysia Facebook posting said Malaysia had booked a place in the final after beating Wales 10-9 in a close encounter.
Malaysia who were drawn in Group B of the World Cup that was held from April 14 to 17, kicked off their campaign with a 11-7 win over the United States, before beating Scotland 14-5 and Northern Ireland 8-7 to book a place in the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Malaysia stepped up a gear and swept past Egypt 14-1 to face Wales in the semifinals.
The win was a perfect answer to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s challenge to the team before leaving Malaysia to England.
Khairy had challenged the team pull off a surprise or two at the tournament.
Malaysia were among eight teams in the men’s and women’s categories respectively in the tournament sanctioned by the World Dodgeball Association (WDA).
Dodgeball is a game in which players from two teams try to throw a ball at each other while avoiding being hit themselves, just like how a game of poison ball is played.