PETALING JAYA: Nik Shahrul Azim Abdul Halim had first day jitters when he attended the training session with the national team at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday. 

The 22-year-old defender’s good work in helping Kelantan win the M-League treble this season didn’t go unnoticed as national coach Datuk K. Rajagopal called him up to join the national training camp ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup, which will kick off in Thailand and Malaysia next month. 

The Kelantan President’s Cup player was promoted to the Kelantan senior squad when first choice defenders Mohd Farisham Ismail and Mohd Rizal Fahmi Abdul Rosid were injured and he went on to make the rightback position his own. 

The shy Rantau Panjang player said he never expected got a national call-up. 

“I’m still on cloud nine after winning the Malaysia Cup last week and my national call-up is another pleasant surprise for me,” said Azim at the Wisma FAM yesterday. 

“I’m quite nervous actually … it’s a big step up for me to be in the national set-up.” 

Despite being a newcomer to the team, Azim has bagged six trophies, including the treble with Kelantan. 

The tenacious rightback had previously won the SCTV Cup in Indonesia with the national Under-22 team, the Agong’s Cup, King’s Gold Cup and the President’s Cup with Kelantan. 

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