KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Rosman Razak has confirmed a major shake-up in the women's doubles department as he aims to create new combinations who can match the success of world No. 7 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
While Pearly-Thinaah's partnership will remain intact, Rosman will evaluate seven other pairs to form fresh line-ups.
Rosman has warned that players who don't adapt could face being dropped.
The 48-year-old coach will assess each pair's progress and individual characteristics before deciding on new combinations.
Even national No. 2 pair Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee, who recently clinched the Malaysia Super 100 title, won't be spared from the reshuffle.
Rosman is determined to bridge the quality gap, which has left Pearly-Thinaah carrying the weight of Malaysia's hopes alone during tournaments.
Rosman, who guided Chow Mei Kuan and Vivian Hoo to Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, believes the current crop of shuttlers should draw inspiration from Pearly-Thinaah and emulate the pair.
"They have a top-class pair as role models to inspire them," said Rosman.
"When Pearly and Thinaah began in 2019, they had no one to look up to.
"I currently have seven pairs, and the reshuffle will involve them all. I'll assess each player's strengths and character before finalising the new combinations.
"Although we have performance data on these players, I want to observe them in training and competition first," he added.
Rosman said final number of national pairs will be decided in consultation with the BA of Malaysia (BAM) and coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
While Rosman's aim is to sustain Pearly-Thinaah's performance, he's equally focused on lifting the rest to higher standards.
Though he hasn't set a timeline for closing the gap, Rosman is ready for the challenge of building a team of quality doubles pairs.
The younger pairs — Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee, Lee Xin Jee-Cheng Su Hui, Amanda Yap-Tan Zhing Hui, Chan Wen Tse-Chong Jie Yu, and Vanessa Ng-Vannee Gobi — will compete at the Malaysian International Series in Johor Baru from Nov 12-17 before Rosman finalises the new pairings.