Ming looks at WSH to revive fortunes

Shane Watson resurrected his international career after a sensational IPL performance in 2008 where he was declared the Player of the Tournament. South Korean Lee Sung Min hopes to do the same through the World Series Hockey later this year.

At 29, Sung Min — an out of favour central midfielder who represented his country intermittently from 2003-2010 before falling out with the national coach Cho Myung Jun — is of firm belief that the WSH will give him the desired experience and exposure to make his way back. “I still have ambitions to be one of the best players in the world. For that, I will have to make it back into the national team and the WSH is the perfect platform for that,” Sung Min told The Indian Express.

Sung Min believes the international exposure he will get in the WSH will help develop his game. “I admire their (Indian players) skills. The Koreans are very good when it comes to player communication but lack in the skills department.”

Sung Min was of the opinion that the league format was the best way to increase the popularity of the sport and bring about rapid development. “In Korea we have a tournament pattern which does not really captivate the audience. The league format will go a long way in popularising the sport,” he added.

At the same time, Sung Min also wants to pave the way for a younger generation of Korean players to play abroad. “Hockey in Korea is not very popular. There are very few opportunities to play at a high level and sponsors are also very few. This opportunity is a big one for me and I hope youngsters from my country will also get this kind of a chance in the future,” he said.