KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has continued to place its faith in Indonesian expertise, with Muhammad Miftah being the latest recruit brought in to strengthen its coaching set-up.
Miftah has been brought in to assist Hoon Thien How in the women's doubles department, filling the void left by former international Lee Meng Yean.
It was not too long ago that BAM hired former Indonesian international Jeffer Rosobin to helm the junior squad, replacing Datuk Misbun Sidek.
Miftah's name may not ring a bell, but coaching director Rexy Mainaky said his compatriot brings an invaluable wealth of experience from his previous coaching stint, especially in India, where he served for many years and played a part in managing the current world No. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.
"Miftah began his duties on yesterday and will serve as an assistant coach to the women's team," said Rexy.
"His presence is a positive development based on his vast experience.
"He has been with the Indian badminton squad for a long time.
"Previously, he was an assistant to head coaches of the doubles department - Tan Kim Her, Flandy Limpele, and most recently Mathias Boe.
"Boe has great trust in him, entrusting all programs to Miftah, including managing the pairing of Satwiksairaj-Chirag."
Miftah's arrival is expected to relieve Thien How's workload; currently, he has four pairs under his charge - Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Teoh Mei Xing-Anna Cheong, Valeree Siow-Low Yeen Yuan, Cheng Su Yin-Cheng Su Hui, and Lee Xin Jie-Tan Zhing Yi.
Rexy is also counting on Miftah to help Thien How whip up Pearly-Thinaah for the Paris Olympics.
"I believe he will be able to assist Thien How in enhancing the performance of the national women's team players, especially Pearly-Thinaah, in their preparation for the Paris Olympic Games," said Rexy.
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With Miftah being the latest addition, the entire national coaching set-up now consists of five Indonesians, including long-serving men's singles coach Hendrawan and former world champion Nova Widianto in the mixed doubles.
BAM has been known for its tendency to hire Indonesian coaches in recent years, with Indra Wijaya, Paulus Firman, and Flandy among the established names who have served the national team.