NAM eyes youthful Queens squad

Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) says they expect the Malawi Queens coach Joana Kachilika to name a mostly youthful squad.

The association’s general secretary Isaac Chimwala in an interview said it is time to have an energetic Queens squad.

Chimwala said this as they wait for Kachilika to assemble a squad to start preparations for test series matches against South Africa in August before going to prestigious competitions such as the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2027 Netball World Cup.

The coach is expected to come up with a relatively new team after most experienced players such as Jane Chimaliro and Takondwa Lwazi recently announced their retirement.

“Our target is to build a strong team for prestigious competitions such as the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2027 Netball World Cup.

“Therefore, we need a team with the majority being youthful players. This will help us to have a strong and energetic squad by the time we will be having the global competitions,” he said.

However, Chimwala said this does not mean experienced players will not be needed as they help the to maintain the team’s DNA.

Kachilika was not available for comment yesterday but she recently told The Nation that she would like to build a team that “conforms to the modern standards of the game”.

Meanwhile, the coach, who was appointed over three months ago, is this week expected to come up with her plans on transforming the team which has most of its players past their prime.

The upcoming Malawi versus South Africa netball series matches were initially scheduled for February this year.

However, they were shifted to August to give the two teams’ new coaches ample time to fine-tune their squads.

Malawi Queens are hoping to regain their sixth ranking on world rankings after recently losing it to Uganda’s She Cranes following poor performances.