In the aftermath of Sabah's 0-0 draw at home against Kelantan last week, plenty of plaudits were being exported on Shahrudin's path, especially with the winger torturing the Red Warriors' defence on numerous occassions.
But perhaps the justification arrived three days later when Sabah visited Kedah at the Darul Aman Stadium. The limelight has mainly been on Michael Baird and Brendan Gan but on that day, it was Shahrudin that popped up with a two-goal performance, sealing a vital draw against the Canaries.
Now, it's evidently clear that his penetrating capabilties have not gone unnoticed, with K. Rajagopal giving him a national team call-up for the upcoming friendly against Philipines. Shahrudin would be battling for a coveted spot on the wings alongside the likes of S. Kunanlan of Negeri Sembilan, Shakir Shaari of Kelantan as well as Wan Zack Wan Haikal of Harimau Muda A who impressed in his S.League debut against Gombak United last week
Some of the major names that have been called up are S. Subramaniam and Norshahrul Idlan Talaha of Kelantan, Ashaari Shamsuddin and Manaf Mamat of Terengganu, as well as Safiq Rahim of Selangor
Safee Sali has also been re-called after previously being left out of the squad that faced Kelantan in a friendly match earlier in the month. His inclusion also comes as a spark of positivity for Malaysian fans, with rumors on his international future being at risk in the midst of all the crisis being faced by the Indonesian Super League.
The full squad list:
Amar Rohidan, Baddrol Bakhtiar, Gurusamy Govandar Kandasamy, Norazlan Razali, Mohd Bunyamin Umar, Safiq Rahim, Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar, Mohd Farizal Marlias, Kunalan Subramaniam, Mahathevan Gengatharan, Abdul Manaf Mamat, Mohamad Ashaari Samsudin, Mohd Faizal Muhamad, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Subramaniam Sooryapparad, Mohd Shakir Shaari, Shahrudin Yakup, Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor, Mohamad Zaquan Adha Abd Razak, Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Razak, Mohd Safee Mohd Sali, Ahmad Shakir Md Ali, Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Muhamad Zubir Mohd Azmi, Mohamad Muslim Ahmad, Mahali Jasuli, Mohd Fadhli Mohd Shas
