Vusumuzi DubeMehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE will face Malawi in the semifinals of the Africa Netball World Cup Qualifier after finishing second in their pool in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Gems suffered a 68-47 defeat to host nation South Africa in their last pool fixture on Thursday but that result had little significance since the Gems had already secure their place in the semifinals of the qualifier.
Zimbabwe finished second in Pool A with six points while South Africa topped the standings with eight points.
The Gems will now face Pool B winners Malawi in the semifinals set for Friday. In their last Pool B encounter, Malawi defeated Zambia 61-49 in a high-paced and exciting encounter. Zimbabwe have a semifinal date with South Africa.
Nine African teams are taking part in the qualifiers which started last Sunday and conclude on Saturday. South Africa, while still participating in the tournament, have already qualified for the World Cup due to being the hosts, leaving eight teams to compete for two qualifying places, which has boosted Zimbabwe’s chances of qualifying. The top two teams of the tournament (excluding South Africa) will qualify for the Netball World Cup.
It effectively means that Zimbabwe are just one win away from qualifying for next year’s tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.
Zimbabwe were one of the four African teams at the 2019 Netball World Cup held in England. South Africa and Malawi qualified by virtue of their high ranking position in the World Netball Rankings while Zimbabwe as well as Uganda secured qualification via the continental qualifiers held in Zambia from 13–18 August 2018.
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Bongani Ndlovu