The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup gets underway today in Ipoh, Malaysia, with the world number 1 and current holders of the title Australia taking on the 18th-ranked team China.
Last year's runners-up and the host nation Malaysia will face South Africa in the later match. On Friday, Korea face Canada in the opening match of the day while China take on South Africa.
Malaysia are hoping to break their drought at the tournament, although their coach K Dharmaraj says the squad has been hit by injuries. This means he is able to give six junior players their first chance to impress on the senior stage. All six debutants performed well in the recent Junior World Cup.
The Cup, named after the hockey-mad King of Malaysia, Sultan Azlan Shah, has been held in Malaysia since 1983. It started out as a biennial contest, but since 1998 it has run every year. It is an invitational tournament between six teams. The contest runs on a round robin basis.
Over the course of 22 tournaments since its inception, Australia have won the most times, recording seven victories. Over its history 14 nations have taken part, including Pakistan, India, Spain, Great Britain, Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany.
