KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran Hafizuddin Othman is determined to fight his way back as the national men's hockey team's No. 1 goalkeeper.
The 34-year-old had been the first-choice custodian for six years before losing his spot to Zaimi Mat Deris.
Zaimi has been the main goalkeeper since the World Cup in Belgium in August, playing in all six matches.
The 29-year-old also played in most matches at the recent Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where Malaysia won silver.
Hafizuddin, who has 154 international caps since debuting at the 2014 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, said national goalkeepers coach S. Kumar told him Zaimi earned the starting spot through better training performances.
"Although Zaimi and I took turns playing in the first four Asian Games matches, he was fielded in the semi-finals and final.
"It is a wake-up call, and I will train harder to regain my spot as a starter.
"Although I am 34, I still want to play for the national team," said Hafizuddin, who was named best goalkeeper when Malaysia won the 2022 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.
Hafizuddin, a father of three, was also part of the squads that won silver at the 2022 Asia Cup in Jakarta and the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai.
The national trainees will report for centralised training on Oct 19.
The Speedy Tigers will next compete in the six-nation Asian Champions Trophy in Punjab, India, from Oct 27-Nov 5.
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