Andrew
Veronica Gwaze
AFTER tasting the glory that comes with being among global stars, Zimbabwe’s senior netball team are in a desperate bid to repeat their 2018 feat and qualify for the World Cup.
The Gems have since stepped up their preparations. There are two slots at the World Cup qualifiers in August.
At their maiden appearance in Liverpool, England, coach Lloyd Makunde’s charges finished in the top eight and held the global netball audience spellbound with some vintage performances.
The next World Cup is slated for July next year in Cape Town, South Africa, and the Gems are hoping to join 15 other nations at the tourney.
However, for their dreams to come true, the new-look Gems will need to avoid performances that characterised their showings at the Pent Series in Namibia last year and at the Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) Games in Malawi last month.
The team failed to manage some of their crucial games as they ran out of legs and miscarried some set plays.
They blew hot and cold, sometimes throwing the ball around with confidence and pouring forward in droves only to miss crucial shots.
In some instances, their desperate young defenders tried to make sure their territory remained tight, but height and the much-needed experience was their undoing.
Gems assistant coach Tatenda Shinya admitted they are not yet the finished article. “Lack of physical fitness was one of our major weaknesses.
“We were down and it cost us, so we are mostly focusing on that every day in the first two weeks of camp,” said Shinya.
“Set play also cost us. We had to force combinations in some areas, but, above all, we are looking at a major shakeup in the mid-court so that by the end of the month, we will have come up with a strong and solid squad.”
Sadly, the Gems will now miss the tour of Manchester in England, which they had hoped to use to give their players exposure and gauge their strength at a higher level.
The Manchester tournament is scheduled for July 17 to July 24.
Zimbabwe were billed to face teams such as Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, who have been to the World Cup.
“The platform would have helped them experience what it is like on the global stage and know what to expect.
“However, it has been cancelled and we have to look at the brighter side. “We were supposed to travel with 12 players only, so now we have more time to train and prepare for the qualifiers without pressure with a wider pool of players, which means more competition,” added Shinya.
The Gems have 19 players camped at Girls High School in Harare.
Skipper Felisitus Kwangwa, who just returned from her English base at Surrey Storm, and South African-based Yeukai Chamba joined their teammates last week.
They will briefly break camp on July 31 before regrouping for the qualifiers scheduled for August 20 to August 27.
Veteran goal-shooter Sharon Bwanali of army side ZDF Queens has bounced back into the fold after missing the COSANA tournament due to a knee injury.
Shinya said the arrival of their foreign-based pair of Kwangwa and Chamba would boost their team’s confidence.
“It gives confidence to the team to have their captain in camp. Her experience will work to our advantage, although she still has to work and earn a spot on the team.
“Bwanali is back, she is in good shape, training well with others and we are hoping as a senior player, she will be there to help us where it matters most.”
He acknowledged that having to rebuild the Gems was “complex” due to Covid-19 and poor fitness levels.
Replacing retired veterans Pauline Jani and Joice Takaidza in the goal-shooting department has proved to be a huge challenge. During the Pent Series, Platinum Queens’ Lynette Tanhira seemed to gain momentum before she was dropped for Correctional Queens’ Tafadzwa Mawango, who, however, was jittery at COSANA.
Tanhira has been included in the squad, where she is expected to battle for a spot alongside Mawango, versatile Tafadzwa Matura, prolific Elizabeth Mushore and Chipo Shoko. “We want height and volume, both factors are important to us, especially in shooting.
“An international goal-shooter needs to put up at least 40 shots in a game and her shooting partner around 25 attempts to be competitive. “We need the highest-volume shooters and their adaptability to playing a different game style,” said Shinya.
Online Reporter