BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO The Zimbabwe netball national team’s assistant coach, Tatenda Shinya, says the Gems are ready to claim their ticket to the world cup finals at the qualifying tournament that will be played in Pretoria, South Africa next month.
The netball world cup finals will be held in Cape Town next year, the first time the tournament will be hosted on African soil since its inception in 1963, with 16 countries expected to take part.
“Our camp has been very positive. We have looked at all the aspects we were lacking- the physical part, endurance and team combinations. Everything seems to be working well now and everyone is now ready to play. I think the job is now left to us coaches to come up with the final team. It’s always a big challenge for us because everyone is playing so well and ready to compete,” said Shinya.
“So far we have developed a very good bond, we now have a team and we are now speaking one language. All the set plays that we worked on, they seem to be working so well and we are happy with the level of endurance that our players now have. We just need to work on a few things especially on the attacking side.”
From the 19 players that started the camp, four players were dropped — Lizzie Kanyekwere, Taslima Mdimba, Thandekile Nyoni and Andile Ndlovu- a decision which the coach said was a tough one since they were all very good.
“Dropping those four does not necessarily mean that they were not good but we were looking at the combinations and stats. If they work well, we can also call them for the World Cup because we are sure that we are going to qualify, that’s a guarantee,” said Shinya.
The return of Patricia Mauladi, who was part of the team at the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool, England will add more experience in the squad.
“We brought in Patricia Mauladi, Beaulla Hlungwane and Lynette Tanhira. We are looking at Patricia’s experience considering the level of competition will face. Though she is not yet there, we are working very hard so that she can come back to be the original Patricia we all know and want. She is showing some positive attitude and change in terms of play and speed but we are going to work extra hard so that she can lose weight and also blend with others.”
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