Queens step up world cup preps
Malawi National Netball Team have started preparations for the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa to identify new talent to beef up the squad with regional trials.
The Southern Region set the ball rolling on Monday by identifying 35 players for national trials slated for February in Lilongwe.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) vice-president Chimwemwe Bakali yesterday said they directed their regional committees to conduct trials to select 30 players each for the national trials by January 31.
He said after the regional trials, the 90 players plus the current national team players will undergo a national exercise to identify the best 40 players that will form the the Queens team A and B.
Said Bakali: “The best players out of the 40 players will make it into team A, which will be our final main team.
“The Centre is expected to conduct their regional trials this weekend while in the North, they are yet to come up with their schedule. In spite of that, we expect all the regions to conduct the trials by the set deadline.”
Southern Region Netball Committee chairperson Junier Kazembe yesterday said although they are supposed to send 30 players to the national trials, they have identified 35 players just in case of eventualities.
“We have been cautious with our selection because we have considered some unforseen circumstances that might come up ahead of the national trials,” she said.
Kazembe said over 70 players took part in the trials at Blantyre Youth Centre after they requested Rainbow Paints Blantyre and District Netball League teams to submit names of players they felt were good enough for national team selection.
Former Queens captain Joana Kachilika, who headed the technical panel that selected the Southern Region players, said they are satisfied with the selection.
She said: “To select a player into our regional squad, we looked at her capabilities in terms of endurance and confidence.
“We also considered height although it was not easy to find players of that attribute. Nevertheless, we are happy and satisfied with our selection.”
Kachilika was assisted by Noel Mussa, Ruth Kaipa and Licy Fiwa.
At the global showpiece, which will take place in South Africa from July 28 to August 6, the Queens, who are ranked sixth in the world and second on the continent, are in Group B alongside third-ranked England, 10th-placed Scotland and 14th-ranked Barbados.
Group A has Australia, Zimbabwe, Fiji and Tonga while hosts South Africa will take on Jamaica, Wales and Sri Lanka in Group C. Reigning champions New Zealand are in Group D, which also has Uganda, Singapore and Trinidad & Tobago.
The Queens have not been active since August last year when they competed in the Netball World Cup qualifiers in South Africa, where they finished second after going down 60-44 to the hosts.
