The Malawi National Netball Team risks a further drop on World Netball rankings following its loss to lowly-ranked Zimbabwe’s Gemz at the recent Africa Netball Championship in Swakopmund, Namibia.
Malawi Queens lost to Zimbabwe 48-42 in a third-place match to finish outside the top three for the first time at the continental showpiece.
It was also the first time for the seventh ranked Queens to lose to Zimbabwe, who are six places below them.
Malawi’s biggest threat on the rankings are eighth-placed Tonga as they are separated by just three points on ratings.
Former Queens’ centre Anne Mopiha said in an interview yesterday that the team’s performance is a cause for worry.
She said: “Looking at the statistics, it is obvious that our seventh position ranking is under threat and we are most likely to slip up further.
“We were not supposed to lose against Zimbabwe because they are minnows in netball.
“Much as the team is undergoing a rebuilding phase, there is need to beef it up further with other players. In the state that the team is, it also needs more time for preparations and playing friendlies against stronger teams.
“For instance, Zimbabwe were in the United Kingdom for test series, no wonder they did well at the tournament by beating both Uganda and Malawi. There are no short cuts to success.”
But Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Vitumbiko Gubuduza said while the loss to Zimbabwe was a big disappointment, “it is essential to maintain perspective and not read too much into these results due to some factors”.
She said: “The loss to Zimbabwe could be a one-off anomaly. Teams can have off days, and Zimbabwe might have simply played a better game.
“The other thing is that Africa Netball Cup format, including the number of teams, pool stages, and knockout rounds, can influence results. A single loss or a particular finish might not accurately reflect a team’s overall strength.”
Gubuduza also said the Queens might have been experiencing internal dynamics or cohesion issues, which can impact performance.
She said: “This could be a temporary setback rather than a long-term concern. In this case team rebuilding, where some players were featuring at an international tournament for the first time.”
The NAM president, however, acknowledged that Zimbabwe might have undergone significant improvements and preparations.
Said Gubuduza: “This could explain their unexpected win over Malawi. This doesn’t necessarily mean Malawi has declined, but rather Zimbabwe has risen to the challenge.
“Malawi netball has a rich history and strong reputation and it has shown with the comments of the officials who were at the tournament that Malawi is building a good team with youngsters and that is showing that we have potential to do better. Lets focus on that.”
Ministry of Youth and Sports spokesperson MacMillan Mwale said in an interview that there is need for all stakeholders to meet and analyse the team’s continued downward plunge.
“Initially, we used to be the number one team in Africa, but later on South Africa overtook us, then came Uganda and now Zimbabwe are becoming a force to reckon with,” he said.
Put to him that lack of adequate resources, whereby the Queens are unable to have thorough preparations and play test series against strong teams, could be one of the major contributing factors, Mwale said: “We need to be looking at a wide range of factors other than just funding and these include the capacity of our officials, especially coaches.
