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Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
ZIMBABWE Netball Association president Leticia Chipandu has implored the Gems to continue raising their profile when they battle in the Diamond Challenge tournament in South Africa.
The event will see teams from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the hosts competing.
The competition is running from November 27 to December 1 and all participating teams are expected to be in South Africa by November 26 just before the competition begins.
“We are going there to compete, even South Africa we are not afraid of them. Every game we will give it our best. We are going for the title that’s why I said every game we will give it our best.
“But one of the things that we hope to look at is where we need to work on as we move towards the World Cup . . . and we are supposed to grow with each competition.
“So it’s going to be a very useful platform for the Gems, they should be able to see their prospects towards the Africa Championships and the World Cup,” said Chipandu.
Zimbabwe beat Botswana, Namibia and Zambia during the joint Africa Championships and 2019 World Cup qualifiers staged in Lusaka.
South Africa did not attend since they automatically qualified for the World Cup because of their ranking.
Chipandu said the Gems will have to be at the top of their game with their opponents out to avenge for previous defeats.
“I think the competition is highly competitive. It is high competition considering that we just came from Zambia. All of them are wounded buffaloes, they have a case to prove against Zimbabwe because we beat them.
“So I think they have trained hard and they know how to counter and what to do to get to the top. This is an acid test, it’s a very serious test to the Gems considering these are teams that are prepared and equally good.
“We had a two-month break but even during the break the players have been playing in the league, so in terms of training they have been training. But I think in terms of coordination as a team that’s where they need to work on. The coaches already know the weaknesses,” Chipandu said.
The Gems’ coach Lloyd Makunde yesterday revealed there are some changes being made to the team since they are not just focusing on the Diamond Challenge but also taking their first step to prepare towards the World Cup in Liverpool.
They have been searching for players with the height, which has been one of their setbacks and would want to address that particular area if they are to make an impression when they make their debut appearance at the global showpiece.
While the technical team was still finalising their provisional squad yesterday, they were also scheduled to start camp on the same day in Harare.
Fixtures
November 27: South Africa vs Namibia (3pm), Botswana vs Zimbabwe (5pm), Zambia vs SA President’s XII.
November 28: Zambia vs Zimbabwe (3pm), SA President’s XII vs Namibia (5pm), South Africa vs Botswana (7pm).
November 29: South Africa vs SA President’s XII (3pm), Botswana vs Zambia (5pm), Namibia vs Zimbabwe (7pm).
November 30: Botswana vs Namibia (3pm), South Africa vs Zambia (5pm), Zimbabwe vs SA President’s XII (7pm).
December 1: Botswana vs SA President’s XII (3pm), Zimbabwe vs South Africa (5pm), Zambia vs Namibia (7pm).
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