Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s Thomas Cup team captain, Lee Chong Wei, who is the most consistent player in the Malaysian team, has vowed to play his best for his country in the biennial event that will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, next week.
After the final day of centralized training camp, Lee remained upbeat when speaking to the reporter at Academy Badminton Malaysia on Tuesday.
“We probably not the strongest team on paper, but we have to go there to play our best because anything is possible.”
“Goh V Shem, Tan Wee Kiong and I are responsible to lead our younger players in such as huge event.”
“I am hoping the younger players could step up and rise to the occasion in what could be my last Thomas Cup appearance.”
“We have many team events this year, including the Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast) and now the Thomas Cup. The Thomas Cup could also be a good preparation for us leading up to the Asian Games this coming August.”
Malaysia have been drawn in Thomas Cup group D with defending champions Denmark, Russia and Algeria with the top two teams qualifying for the quarter-finals. Both Malaysia’s Thomas and Uber Cup squads will depart for Bangkok on Thursday.
The last time Malaysia won the Thomas Cup was in 1992 when it beat Indonesia 3-2 in the final in Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur.
