BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO Zimbabwe senior netball team assistant coach Tatenda Shinya says he is pleased with the depth in their squad and hopes to continue building a strong team fit for the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa in August.
The Gems completed the second week of their ongoing training camp with a total of 19 players converging at Girls High School in the capital.
The squad has been boosted by the arrival of national team captain Felisitus Kwangwa, who joined the rest of the team early this week after completing a successful season at English side Surrey Storm.
The squad includes the duo of Western Cape Tornados team captain Yeukai Chamba and seasoned player Sharon Bwanali, who missed the Gems’ recent tour of Malawi.
Shinya said the big task now lies with the technical side to pick a strong squad which has the capacity of raising the country’s flag high.
“Now we have a full squad in camp and everyone is positive and eager to play. The competition is very high in all areas. The return of Sharon Bwanali and the team captain Felisitus Kwangwa has boosted the morale and also the competition level. We are actually ready for the competition but as coaches we are facing a tough challenge in team selection because everyone is doing their best,” Shinya said.
“We are working on set plays and game plans and we are looking at the opponents we are going to face in South Africa. So, we are working on all areas — on the defensive and also on the offensive side. But we want to work more on the physical side which was the major issue in Malawi (last month). We have tried our best so far and everyone is now looking fit. What’s left now is for team bonding.”
The Gems will need to win one of the remaining two slots on offer during next month’s qualifiers to book a ticket for the World Netball Cup next year.
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Africa had four slots for the World Cup and one was taken by South Africa on virtue of being the hosts while Uganda secured the other through world rankings.
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