THE fact that Malaysian bowling has not thrown a single ball in nearly three months amid the Covid-19 pandemic weighs heavily on the mind of national coach Holloway Cheah (pic).
Anxiety is creeping in as it involves the entire national squad.
With less than six months before the Asian Championships (Hong Kong) in November, Holloway is now a worried man.
"I was relaxed at the start of the MCO (Movement Control Order) but I'm getting really worried now," he said yesterday.
"It's going to be three months since any bowler has taken to the lanes.
"To make things worse, we still don't know if we can restart training after June 9."
According to the 78-year-old, bowling is a sport that relies heavily on feel and skill.
Even if the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) is lifted next month, Holloway believes it would take another month or two for his charges to regain their rhythm.
"Imagine having to deal with a couple of injured players. They will be sidelined for a few months and then it will take some time for them to get back into the game.
"Now multiply that with the entire squad. I really don't know how to feel. I have been trying to get the National Sports Council to see if we can start training soon.
"The only consolation is that most countries are also in the same boat. Everyone will start from the same point.
"Everyone, except Japan and Korea, who have been training for some time now," added Holloway.
So far, the government has only given the green light to athletes under the Road to Tokyo Olympics programme to resume training next month.
The three centralised training centres that will house these athletes are the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara, Bukit Jalil Sports Complex and National Sailing Centre in Langkawi.
