Same old problems for Gems

Sports Reporter

Four years on, it appears the Gems have not learnt anything, as the bulk of the problems that affected their preparations for the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup in England have resurfaced ahead of the 2023 edition.

The World Cup is scheduled for Cape Town, South Africa, between July 28 and August 6.

Hosts South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Malawi will carry the African flag, joining 12 other nations in the battle for supremacy.

With just three months left before the competition starts, Zimbabwe’s preparations have not yet hit top gear.

The Gems, who are currently camped at Prince Edward School, are also battling injuries to some players.

During the 2019 World Cup preparations, the team camped in Mbare, where they slept in a classroom.

They also used to walk to the training venue every day.

And it seems limited resources have returned to haunt the Gems once again.

The Sunday Mail Sport has it on good authority that all is not smooth sailing.

The Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA) indicated before the beginning of camp that they had secured sponsorship from Netbank and had also retained support from Spar, which undertook to cater for food while the team are in camp.

According to a circular from ZINA, the Nedbank sponsorship is set to be unveiled on April 14.

“Nedbank will be joining us on our journey to Cape Town for the Netball World Cup as our main sponsor.

“. . . the Gems will be battling it out with the current World number one and the netball world champion Australia, Tonga and Fiji in Pool A of the Netball World Cup in Cape Town,” reads part of the circular.

“It is to this end that we must start preparing the team for these battles and this signing ceremony marks the beginning of the journey.”

However, the Gems have not yet secured any international friendly matches, which are needed to help gauge their strength and weaknesses.

Sparring with other top teams also helps the technical department in perfecting the team’s combinations and tactics.

Despite their woes, hopes remain high in the Zimbabwe camp that they could still surpass their eighth-place finish in Liverpool four years ago.