KUALA LUMPUR: Rafiq Ismail is not disheartened by Thursday's Thailand Open defeat in Bangkok.
The 25-year-old almost made a winning return on his first international Open tournament in more than three years but was edged 234-222 by Thailand's Annop Arromsaranon in the stepladder final.
In his last Open tournament, Rafiq captured the Hong Kong Open in July 2019.
With a podium finish adding to the national crown in March, Rafiq hopes he has done enough to impress the selectors ahead of the World Cup in Queensland, Australia, on Nov 11-23.
"It was not my day. The final went down the wire. I could have won if I had struck home in the 10th frame. But I recorded a split instead," said Rafiq.
"Credit to Annop, he deserved the victory. I am happy as I achieved my podium target.
"I look forward to making the World Cup squad. It is the biggest tournament of the year, and I don't want to miss it."
Compatriots Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek, Timmy Tan and Hafiz Zainuddin finished fifth, seventh and 10th, respectively, in Bangkok.
Natasha Roslan was Malaysia's best performer in the women's category at sixth, one rung above compatriot Faten Najihah Ahmad Faik.
Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) secretary-general Maradona Chok said: "It was a decent outing.
"Rafiq did well to finish on the podium while Natasha made the stepladder finals.
"Nothing to be alarmed about in terms of performance. The team will know what to do when they return to KL," said Maradona.