The Malawi Under-21 National Netball Team has vowed to win all its three Test Series matches against Zambia starting with this afternoon’s fixture at the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka.
The two sides will use the series, which conclude on Sunday, to tighten the loose ends before they travel to Gibraltar for the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup scheduled for September 19 to 28.
In their last meeting during the World Youth Cup qualifiers last year, Malawi won 54-35 and head coach Noel Mussa yesterday said his charges are ready to continue from where they stopped.
In the 16-player squad, the Malawi team has six stars that took part in the world qualifiers, namely Sophilate Banda, Melia Soko, Aisha Gama, Esther Phiri, Stella Matellezi and Florence Jeke.
Ahead of this afternoon’s clash, the Malawi Under-21 team conducted five training sessions at the match venue.
“After three days of acclimatising with the Zambian weather and facilities, we are now ready for battle,” said Mussa.
“We are very much looking forward to this series. Of course, the Zambians have in the last few years proved to be a better side but looking at how our girls have been performing during training, I do not see a reason why we should lose even a single match.”
Zambia Under-21 Netball National Team coach Moses Malama said the back-to-back encounters will offer valuable match practice and tactical sharpening ahead of the Netball World Youth Cup.
However, he said they are determined to win and give Malawi tough time on the courts.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) general secretary Yamikani Kauma said the Zambia trip, jointly bankrolled by team sponsor Mukuru Malawi and Malawi National Council of Sports, will be followed by a two-week local camping before departure for the World Youth Cup.
She added that they are currently in discussion with Northern Ireland and Singapore for possible test matches days before the global showpiece in Gibraltar.
