KUALA LUMPUR: Former international Liew Daren believes Ng Tze Yong holds the key to Malaysia's success at the Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, China from April 28-May 5.
The 36-year-old, a two-time Thomas Cupper, is of the opinion that Tze Yong could play a crucial role in the second singles tie for Malaysia.
It remains to be seen if Tze Yong will be able to recover from his back injury, sustained five weeks ago, and return to optimal condition.
But if Tze Yong manages to, then Malaysia will have a squad capable of mounting a strong challenge in the tournament.
"Let us all hope Tze Yong recovers well. The team need him for the important second singles role, and I think he can make a difference," said Daren, who was part of the Malaysian team that finished runners-up to Japan in 2014.
"We will need the singles players to deliver if we're to succeed at the Thomas Cup."
Malaysia received a favourable draw on Friday after being bunched together in Group B with Denmark, Hong Kong and Algeria.
Daren would love nothing but to see Malaysia trying to win the group stage first.
"We should aim for the top spot. Doing so will help us to set the tone for the knockout stage besides preventing us from meeting other group champions in the quarter-finals," said Daren.
"Denmark will surely have the upper hand on paper, but you can never say never when it comes to the team event.
"We should be able to get past Hong Kong. All we need is a point from the singles."
THOMAS CUP:
Group A - China, South Korea, Canada, Australia;
Group B - Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Czech Republic;
Group C - Indonesia, India, Thailand, England;
Group D - Denmark, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Algeria.
UBER CUP:
Group A - China, India, Canada, Singapore;
Group B - Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia;
Group C - Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Uganda;
Group D - South Korea, Denmark, United States, Mexico.
