Uphill battle for the Gems as they face Malawi

Veronica Gwaze in PRETORIA, South Africa

THE Zimbabwe senior netball team, the Gems, will need to employ a positive approach and mental fitness today as they face rivals Malawi in the semi-finals of the 2023 Netball World Cup African Qualifiers in Pretoria, South Africa, assistant coach Tatenda Shinya has said.

After falling 68-47 to rampant South Africa in their final Pool A game yesterday, the Spar Zimbabwe-sponsored Zimbabwe proceeded into the semi-finals as second-placed team behind the hosts in the group which also had Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania.

From Pool B, Malawi emerged top after outplaying Zambia 61-49 in their final group game yesterday.

However, if today, the Gems fail to make it past Malawi, they will have to finish the tournament in position three to grab the second ticket to next year’s Netball World Cup finals which will be staged in Cape Town, South Africa.

The 2023 Netball World Cup finals are slated to run between July 28-August 6 at International Convention Centre in Cape Town next year.

The Gems, who tasted their first defeat of the tournament yesterday, had, however, already booked their place in the semi-finals after beating Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania respectively in their first three group matches.

Despite being outclassed by the perennial superiors South Africa, the Gems yesterday capped their group with a rare fighting spirit compared to previous encounters where the two have clashed.

Taking to half-time, the Zimbabweans were trailing 32-20 in the “ostensibly” tight match in which the minnows fought to the final whistle.

The Gems assistant coach Shinya said benching most of their senior players for the greater part of the game was a tactical stance.

“We knew it was going to be tough because they are a quality side so instead of putting our girls under pressure we had to shift focus to the bigger task ahead,” he said.

“As we were preparing for the neighbours, we simply told the girls that we needed character and to fight till the end and we are happy they stuck to that.

“However, the objective was to prepare ourselves for the semis and to try out different combinations against a powerful side which is why we were rotating our players.”

The Gems assistant coach said the match against South Africa helped them identify some key areas that needed adjustment ahead of today’s encounter against regional powerhouse Malawi.

“We reflected and did the necessary corrections telling ourselves to take each game as a fresh task altogether,” he said.

Shinya said they have done everything within their means to ensure they return home with one of the two 2023 Netball World Cup tickets.

The Gems’ mental aptitude and defensive forte, he said, will win them another Netball World Cup berth.

“We sat and sought ways to prepare our girls mentally and to make them forget about the defeat against South Africa because at this level, the result comes from the psychological aspect of the game,” he said.

Captain Felisitus Kwangwa, who is one of the senior players in the team, saluted the Gems for the hard work and perseverance in making it to the semi-finals.

She said the three consecutive wins against Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania in their group matches played a huge role in boosting the team’s confidence and morale.

“When we were preparing for this tournament, we made sure never to overlook the psychological part because we realised that in the past we lacked that,” she said.

“As seniors, it is largely our responsibility to hold the team together and guide the young ones so we are doing just that in all our games, in fact this is how we have conquered so far.

“We need a win against Malawi (today) so that we know that we are safely through to the Netball World Cup finals, a defeat means we still have to fight to qualify in position three which is not what we want because it will give us pressure.”

To boost their confidence, the Spar Zimbabwe-sponsored Gems also received a timely donation from Zororo/Phumulani Funeral Services.

Today’s semi-final fixtures

1pm – Zimbabwe v Malawi

3pm – South Africa v Zambia