BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO Gems coach assistant Tatenda Shinya says the team will target a top six finish at the 2023 Netball World Cup finals after they booked their place at the global meet in Pretoria, South Africa.
Zimbabwe join South Africa, Uganda and Malawi from Africa after defeating Zambia 59-41 in a thrilling third and fourth position playoff match on Saturday.
This will be the second time national netball team will participate at the World Cup finals, having played at the 2019 edition in Liverpool, England where they finished eighth overall.
They lost just one pool match at the qualifiers against South Africa before they were defeated by Malawi in the semifinal.
With that defeat, they set up a clash with neighbors Zambia whom they dominated from start to finish.
Australia-based goal shooter Joice Takaidza was perfect in the shooting circle and made for a good combination with Ursula Ndlovu.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
The first quarter ended at 16-12 with the Gems enjoying a healthy lead.
Zambia, however, tried to fight back in the early minutes of the second quarter, cutting the lead to just a point but the Gems pulled away to a 30-26 lead.
It was the third quarter where Zimbabwe stretched the lead, finishing with a 43-32 advantage.
It got better in the last quarter and in the end, the Gems finished the match with an 18-goal lead.
“I just want to thank the Lord for what he has done for us as Team Zimbabwe. Much thanks also go to our supporters, thumbs up to you Zimbabwe, we are proud that we have made it again to the World Cup. We are promising that we are not going there to participate but to deliver and come back victorious,” Shinya said.
“We are going back to the drawing board, work hard and achieve a better result than the previous eighth position. We are aiming for the top six now and we are definitely going to achieve our goal as team Zimbabwe. I think Zambia is good on the offensive side, so we now have to work more on the offensive side.”
“Thanks to the support we got from Joice Takaidza, she was the morale booster for the team, she has the experience. When Sharon came in, the duty was already done. I’m happy the girls made us proud,” Shinya said.
The Gems wing-defender Claris Kwaramba was named Player of the Match.
- Follow Magreth On Twitter @MagrethRuzvidzo