Malaysia bank on depth to defend Asian bowling supremacy

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will bank on a blend of proven champions and fresh talent to defend their overall crown at next month's Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships in Doha, Qatar, where competition for places has been so intense that even former world champion Natasha Roslan missed the cut.

The Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) have named a 12-member squad for the Nov 12-22 championships, retaining nine bowlers from the team who delivered a record eight gold medals in Bangkok two years ago.

Malaysia dominated the 2024 edition with eight golds, five silvers and four bronzes, their best-ever performance at the Asian Championships.

However, the most notable absentee from the Doha line-up is Natasha, who has enjoyed considerable success on the international stage.

The 2023 World Championships women's singles gold medallist in Kuwait went on to capture the IBF World Cup singles title in Hong Kong last year before finishing runner-up at the recent edition in Munich, Germany.

She also partnered Sin Li Jane to win the women's doubles gold at the 2024 Asian Championships.

Despite her impressive credentials, Natasha finished seventh in MTBC's internal selection exercise, just outside the six-woman squad for Doha.

MTBC secretary general Maradona Chok said the competition for national-team places remained fierce, regardless of a bowler's previous achievements.

"You have to be at the top of your game else others come knocking," said Maradona.

He explained that the selection process for the Asian Championships differed from that used for the recent World Cup, where the coaches had handpicked the squad.

For Munich, the men's quartet were given an opportunity to defend their historic team title, while the women's selection included two younger bowlers whom the coaches wanted to test.

The Doha squad, however, was determined through internal selection, highlighting the depth and competition within the national set-up.

Despite Natasha's absence, Malaysia retain considerable firepower from their record-breaking Bangkok campaign.

Rafiq Ismail, who collected four golds in the men's singles, trios, all-events and Masters in 2024, returns alongside Li Jane, who captured three golds in the women's doubles, all-events and Masters.

Together, the duo accounted for seven of Malaysia's eight gold medals. The other came through Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam and Shaqeem Izwan Teh Shahrul Hafiz Teh in the men's doubles.

The six-man squad comprises Rafiq, Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek, Hakim, Timmy Tan, Izz Naqiuddin Putera and Hazim Alihanafiah.

Rafiq, Syafiq, Hakim and Izz were members of the 2024 squad, with Timmy and Hazim replacing Muhammad Hafiz Zainuddin and Shaqeem.

Hafiz helped Rafiq and Syafiq win the trios gold in Bangkok.

In the women's team, Li Jane, Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, Gillian Lim, Faten Najihah and Nur Syazwani Sahar return from Bangkok, with Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee the only new addition.

Adelia brings impressive credentials of her own, having won the singles silver at last year's World Championships and helped Malaysia claim team bronze at the recent Munich World Cup.

Five members of the Doha squad — Rafiq, Hakim, Timmy, Li Jane and Adelia — also competed in Munich, where Malaysia returned with Natasha's singles silver and bronze medals in both team events.

Looking ahead to Doha, Maradona acknowledged that defending the overall crown would present a formidable challenge, especially after Malaysia's unprecedented success in Bangkok.

"We know it will not be easy to repeat what we achieved two years ago. Eight gold medals is a very high benchmark, and we can expect strong competition from the other Asian teams.

"But we have a good balance of experience and emerging talent. Our senior bowlers know what it takes to win at this level, while the younger ones have a great opportunity to step up and prove themselves," he said.

Maradona stressed that the focus would be on maintaining Malaysia's competitive edge rather than dwelling on their previous success.

"We are proud of what we achieved in Bangkok, but that is already history. We have to start fresh, stay hungry and fight for every medal.

"The challenge now is to show that Malaysia can remain at the top of Asian bowling, and that is exactly what we are going to Doha to achieve," he added.