(*Credit image: The Star Online)
There is no place for independent players in Malaysia's men's and women's teams to next month's Badminton Asia Men's and Women's Team Championships to be held in Alor Star in Malaysia.
The Asian Championships to be held in the northern state of Kedah, will be held at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium from Feb 6-11.
The championships will also serve as the continental qualifier for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals which will be at Impact Arena in Bangkok from May 20-27.
The four semi-finalists in the men's and women's categories will make the trip to Bangkok.
Malaysia were runners-up in the last Thomas Cup Finals in 2014 in New Delhi, are confident that the team will reach the Finals again although some of the higher ranked players who are professionals have been left out.
The team Malaysian team is led by world number two Lee Chong Wei, who at 35, is the oldest player in the squad.
Others in the men's team are Lee Zii Jia, ranked 42, Soong Joo Ven (66) and Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin who comes in at 99.
Malaysia have picked their former world number one and Rio Olympics silver medallists Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong to lead the doubles onslaught.
The second doubles pair is Malaysia's number two pair Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin. The third pair is Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Soniia Cheah, who is the country's number one women's singles shuttler and former world junior champion Goh Jin Fei are Malaysia's pick in the women's singles.
The other two singles players picked for the Asian Championships are Lim Yin Fun (88) and S. Kisona who is ranked 97.
Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei lead the women's doubles. The other pairs are Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean and Goh Yea Ching-Yap Cheng Wen.
The team was announced by Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria after he chaired Coaching and Training Committee meeting at Academy Badminton Malaysia on Thursday.
THE MALAYSIAN TEAMS
MEN
Singles
Lee Chong Wei
Lee Zii Jia
Soong Joo Ven
Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin
Doubles
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong
Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin
Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani
WOMEN
Singles
Soniia Cheah
Goh Jin Wei
Lim Yin Fun
S. Kisona
Doubles
Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei
Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean
Goh Yea Ching-Yap Cheng Wen
