Foul!

The 2013 Sudirman Cup will be remembered for the wrong reason. As Malaysia play host, the national shuttlers simply failed in their quest after losing 3-2 to Germany in the second group stage match en route to being smashed out of the tournament. The national team had lost 3-2 to Taiwan on Sunday. New Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was clearly irked with the performance of the team as he  tweeted: "...BAM you are in a crisis" right after Malaysia lost the match at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The result comes at a bad timing for the BA of Malaysia (BAM) who are already struggling to justify its presence in the Badminton Asian Confederation (BAC) in the form of Nadzmi Salleh who now heads both BAM and BAC. Many continue to lambast the national association for its failure to address the common issues at home - most importantly the poor standards of play adopted by the national shuttlers - but prefers to head regional and world bodies instead....

Malaysia suffered a huge blow in their opening fixture of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Sudirman Cup, when men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong  (pic) lost in straight games 21-18, 21-18 to Taiwan’s Lee Shen Mu-Tsai Chia Hsin. “We thought we would be in control, but we were proven wrong. They (Sheng Mu – Chia Hsin) were clearly stronger in front court, and their attacking was better,” a disappointed Kien Keat said after the match. When questioned if they should play against Germany next, Boon Heong said “It depends on our coaches actually, I think the more confident pair should play. “As for me, I think my confidence has dropped a little after this defeat.” Read the full report here . Outplayed? Outclassed? Isn't it high time for the BA of Malaysia (BAM) to do something about the pair? Or should we still keep them? Is it true that even the coaching staff have given up on the world No 3 pair? HD says: Oh by the way, happy birthday to BAM...