Queens maintain fifth slot globally
Despite suffering eight consecutive defeats during the 2014 Fast5 Netball Series and the Test Series matches in England, Malawi Queens have maintained the fifth position on the world netball ladder and the first position in Africa.
This follows the latest rankings’ list that the International Netball Federation (INF) has released, covering international matches played up to December 20 2014.
However, the Queens’ might lose the positions to their rivals South Africa if they perform poorly in their next encounters in the African Netball Championships, the World Netball Cup and the Fast5 Championships this year.
The Queens lost all their six matches during the 2014 Fast5 Series in New Zealand, including two beatings by sixth-placed South Africa. They also suffered two defeats by England during the Test Series.
According to INF website, the Queens have a rating of 135, one ahead of South Africa. A rating is a measure of the average performance of a team over a series of matches. Each team earns a certain number of points from each international match. Their rating is the total number of points earned divided by the number of matches played.
Australia is ranked number one in the world because it has the highest rating of 199, which is 25 ahead of second-placed New Zealand and 38 in front of third-positioned England. There are 36 rated netball playing countries in the world.
