KUALA LUMPUR – The adage “strike while the iron is hot” aptly describes SMK Anderson’s approach to nurturing the nation’s hockey talents.
Established in 1909, this iconic secondary school has been one of Malaysia’s top talent feeders in hockey since British administrators introduced the sport before the onset of World War II.
Among the most prominent “Andersonians” who went on to represent Malaysia internationally, were goalkeeper Kamarul Ariffin and penalty corner specialist A.I. Thaillanathan, who were once feared by their opponents in the early 1950s and ’60s.
More recently, adding to this legacy is Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, a former Andersonian and a standout player for the Speedy Tigers.
Azrai’s recent stellar performances, including emerging as the top scorer at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, highlight the school’s ongoing commitment to producing top-tier hockey players for Malaysia.
During the tournament, which concluded last Saturday, the 23-year-old was in the form of his life as he scored eight goals in total, including two hat-tricks against Pakistan and New Zealand.
Azrai’s rise has even led to him eclipsing his idol Faizal Saari, who scored only three goals in the 30th edition of the invitational tournament, which saw Malaysia ending their campaign in fourth place.
Throughout his career with the Speedy Tigers, Azrai scored a total of 28 goals in 75 appearances.
The versatile forward was also the top scorer in this season’s Malaysia Hockey League with a total of 32 goals scored for Tenaga Nasional Berhad.
The Speedy Tigers forward is one of the few players from the modern era who has excelled on the international stage for Malaysia since making his debut in 2019.
SMK Anderson is motivated to replicate Azrai’s success by nurturing more players for the national hockey team in the years to come.
Speaking to Scoop, SMK Anderson hockey team head coach Nizam Mohd Hashim expressed pride in Azrai’s growth as well as joy in seeing his players succeed over the years.
“Players like Azrai, Syed Mohamed Syafiq Syed Cholan, and Najib Abu Hassan were some of the finest players I have produced. I’m happy that they all started their journey at SMK Anderson.
“Honestly, I’m happy that my hard work over the years has paid off, and I’m proud to see how my boys have grown and are doing well on the international stage.
“Azrai was a player who always put in the hours on the turf to improve his finishing without me telling him what to do. He comes early to the turf to practise with the goalkeepers about an hour before the actual training. He even tends to stay back and practise his drills after the training sessions are over.
“There’s no doubt that, one day, Azrai will be the most decorated player in Malaysian hockey history if he continues his momentum. I’m now 56 years old, and I still have the hunger and urge to develop more players for the national team, especially when I see them succeed in life,” said Nizam when met at the Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh.
At the same time, Nizam, who is also the head coach of the Perak state team for the Malaysian Games (Sukma), aims to see his players follow in their seniors’ footsteps and push for national team spots.
“We have a huge pool of talent in Perak, and our aim is to mould them to reach their peak performance in the future.
“I hope to see my boys bring more glory to the state and also push themselves to represent the national team by following in the footsteps of Azrai, Syafiq, and Najib.
“In the last edition of Sukma, we finished in third place, but now we are aiming to reach the final, and we have already begun our training with our pool of players to make sure we reach our target,” Nizam added.
Beyond sports, SMK Anderson boasts a distinguished list of alumni, including former works minister, the late Tun S. Samy Vellu, former youth and sports minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and renowned illustrator and cartoonist of Kampung Boy Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid, better known as Lat, further solidifying its legacy. – May 16, 2024