KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian women's hockey team are a match away from finishing 11th in the Junior World Cup in South Africa.
They will meet Zimbabwe in the 11th-12th playoff tomorrow in Potchefstroom.
Tipped by critics to finish bottom of the 16-team tournament, the Malaysian team had surprised in a big way.
Following Japan's withdrawal due to Covid-19, Malaysia, as first reserves, came in.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation's plan was simple, field the team in the national league, select 20 players and fly off to South Africa for friendlies against Ukraine and a club side there.
Ukraine never showed up, and coach Nasihin Nubli let his team spar with a local club in Potchefstroom before diving into the Junior World Cup.
As Nasihin marshals his team against Zimbabwe, he said: "After some gruelling matches, some of my players picked up injuries and this has made substitution very difficult for me.
"But still, we will be going for a win in our final match to make it a memorable debut in South Africa."