KUALA LUMPUR: Just a week into 2025, the Malaysian bowling team have an opportunity to start the year strongly, building on their exceptional performance from 2024.
An eight-member squad will represent Malaysia at the World Cup, which begins tomorrow in Hong Kong.
The team comprise Rafiq Ismail, Ahmad Muaz Fishol, Timmy Tan, Tun Hasnul Azam, Sin Li Jane, Natasha Roslan, Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, and Gillian Lim.
This year marks only the second edition of the revamped World Cup.
The tournament's format was restructured in 2022 to emphasise match play and introduce team competitions, expanding beyond its original individual-only format that began in 1965.
The Malaysian team are eager to prove themselves after failing to secure a podium finish at the previous World Cup in Queensland, Australia.
However, they will enter this year's tournament with high confidence following their dominant performance at the Asian Championships in Bangkok last September.
At that event, led by Rafiq and Li Jane, the team made history by achieving the most successful medal haul ever recorded in the championships' 54-year history, securing an impressive tally of eight gold, five silver, and four bronze medals.
Despite only four titles up for grabs — men's and women's singles and team events — there is much at stake as Malaysia aim to shine in this tournament.
Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek remains Malaysia's sole champion in the competition's history, having clinched the title in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2012.
In the women's division, Sin Li Jane came agonisingly close with a second-place finish in 2014, following similar runner-up performances by Shalin Zulkifli (1996) and Siti Safiyah (2017).
The tournament, formerly known as the QubicaAMF World Cup, was notorious for its cumulative pinfall system, where scores carried forward throughout the competition meant that a single off day could prove catastrophic.
However, the International Bowling Federation's revamped format has introduced a more accessible system similar to football, where bowlers compete for match wins through round-robin preliminaries followed by knockout stages, eliminating the significance of pinfall margins.
Team regulars Ahmad Muaz and Timmy Tan are keen to justify their selection after both regained their spots following their omission from the Asian Championships squad last year.
"Missing the Asian Championships was devastating — it was our biggest assignment last year. I didn't perform well and it cost me dearly," said Muaz.
"This selection actually came as a surprise, but now that I'm back, I want to make the most of it by performing well.
"Our main target is to help the team win the title, and if I could achieve something in singles, that would be a bonus. I have unfinished business here, having finished third in 2017."
Timmy acknowledged that missing the Asian Championships served as a reality check about his place in the team.
"Missing the Asian Championships was a wake-up call. This is a good opportunity to redeem myself. Moreover, I want to give the World Cup title another shot.
In 2022, I made it to the semi-finals before losing in the bronze playoff to American Kris Prather," said Timmy.