Malawi Queens coach Joana Kachilika says the team needs ample time to prepare for the Africa Netball Championship scheduled for Swakopmund, Namibia from December 9 to 14.
She said this after Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) confirmed the Malawi National Netball Team’s participation in the continental event, through a statement released yesterday, having missed the previous edition.
The statement says Africa’s top ranked sides, South Africa’s Spar Proteas and Uganda’s She Cranes, who also missed the previous edition, are among the 10 countries that have confirmed participation.
In an interview after the Spar Test Series against South Africa in Johannesburg, Kachilika said: “We need enough time to prepare for the tournament and to work on the shortfalls that we have noted.
“The test series have helped us identify our weak and strong areas and for us to improve on the weak areas such as turnovers, we need adequate time to train.
“So, hopefully, once we return home, it won’t take us long to start preparations.”
But according to the NAM, the Queens will regroup on November 25 to preparr for the tournament.
However, NAM president Vitumbiko Gubuduza said in an interview yesterday that they are yet to get a report from the coach on the Spar Test Series, “so we will know her views once we have the meeting”.
Malawi, who featured a predominantly new team, lost all the three test matches to Spar Proteas.
They lost the first match 68-31 before going down 69-38 in the second game while the last encounter ended 69-24.
Malawi captain Towera Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda said the team needs intense training and more international friendlies to expose the new players.
“We made a lot of errors which is expected from a team undergoing a rebuilding phase. We need more training so that the coaches can build a strong side,” she said.
