National hockey coach Paul Revington said he was still searching for a comparable defender like the late Chua Boon Huat before going into the Men's Asia Cup Hockey championships scheduled from Aug 24 to Sept 1, in Ipoh, Perak.

He said Boon Huat's agility and fighting spirit was unparalleled.

The player was killed in an accident at KM10.4 Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) in Petaling Jaya, on Thursday.

"But I'm confident with the squad. They have a unique quality and will give their full commitment," he told reporters when announcing the 16 players for the tournament at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here, Tuesday.

Revington said he wanted the team to focus solely on the competition and bring glory to the nation.

The players selected for the event are Muhammad Razie Abdul Rahim, Azlan Misron, Baljit Singh, Faiz Helmi Jali, Faizal Shaari, Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin, S. Kumar, Mohamad Sukri Abdul Mutalib, Mohammad Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin, Tengku Ahmad Tajudin Abdul Jalil, Roslan Jamaluddin, Mohd Fitri Saari, Mohd Shahrun Nabil Abdullah, Muhammad Marhan Mohd Jalil, Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor and Roslan Jamaluddin.

Revington said the names of two more players will be announced on Aug 16.

Malaysia have been drawn in Group A with Pakistan, Japan and Taiwan while Group B comprise defending champion South Korea, India, Oman and Bangladesh.

Malaysia's best placing in the competition was a third-place finish in Chennai, India back in 2007, after beating Japan 5-3.