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Veronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Under-21 National Netball team will be banking on Goal Shooter Thandazile Ndhlovu when they take part at the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup Qualifiers.
The tourney is scheduled for Pretoria, South Africa between March 17-24.
The Young Gems will be hoping to grab one of the four slots to qualify for the global showcase.
The finals are slated for Gibraltar at the Tercentenary Sports Hall and Europa Sports Park from September 19 to 28, next year. If they make it, the Tapiwa Chirenda-led side will be making a second appearance at the Netball World Youth Cup after their debut in 2017 in Botswana.
With a 30-player squad already in camp, Chirenda is being assisted by Simbarashe Mlambo.
And Ndhlovu, the lanky Green Fuel star, who has on various occasions flirted with the senior national team, will be expected to shoulder the burden for the Young Gems.
The towering star, who stands at 1,86 metres, said: “I am happy that I made it on to the provisional squad, the trials were tough, imagine talent from all provinces converging on one court.
“I hope to make it on to the final squad being an elite league player and often camping with the seniors, fans obviously have eyes on me. However, I will not be looking at myself (to be) different, in any way, from the rest of the team, no one is guaranteed a bib, we all have to work for it.
“I will also use what I learnt from the seniors to my team’s advantage, our sights are already on Gibraltar.”
Ndhlovu holds one of the most important and sometimes frustrating positions on court.
Yet she always has her way of bullying the opponents.
The budding star made her Young Gems debut in June 2022, at the Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) in Malawi.
She left a mark as the Shooter of the Tournament when they brought home gold.
“I got into netball voluntarily, based on my height but never imagined myself this far someday, I believe that this is just the beginning,” she said.
Online Reporter