SINCE Nicol David retired, Malaysia's squash prospects at the Commonwealth Games have dried up too.
Malaysia's best effort at the last edition of the Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast, Australia, was a bronze by Nafiizwan Adnan in the men's singles.
Malaysia last tasted gold through Nicol in the women's singles in 2014 in Glasgow.
And now, Malaysia are banking on S. Sivasangari and Rachel Arnold to get a gold medal in the games at Birmingham from July 28-Aug 8. Not through the singles, but women's doubles.
Sivasangari and Rachel showed they can be a force in the doubles after teaming up to win a bronze at the women's world championships in Glasgow, Scotland in April.
The duo, who have been honing their partnership in training, are eyeing the podium in Birmingham. At the last Commonwealth Games, they failed to go further than the quarter-finals in the doubles.
National champion Sivasangari, 23, said: "We communicate well and are coming off from winning the bronze medal at the Doubles World Championships.
"That performance and the result was a morale booster for us. We have a few more weeks to tidy up our game, and we hope we can get a medal (in Birmingham)."
Rachel, 26, said: "This time, we are better prepared (than the 2014 Commonwealth Games), and I hope we can advance to the semis and then to the final."