THE Zimbabwe Gems threw caution to the wind and decided to rest its keep players for the Africa Netball Championships opener against defending champions South Africa in Windhoek, Namibia.
It was always going to be tough to outwit Africa’s number one side instead; head coach Lloyd Makunde’s strategy was to reserve the best arsenal for tomorrow’s clash against hosts Namibia.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game to play one of the best teams in the continent and the world. But we showed that we are a good team to play with anyone in Africa, especially in the first quarter of the game. I think the only challenge we faced in today’s game is that we gave them too much respect, and we created too many unforced errors, which I think we can rectify in our next match,” said Makunde after the match.
“South Africa were more physical than us, but I’m happy with the performance. I hope we can improve in the next games.”
South Africa cruised to a 78-27 victory. Still, Makunde was a satisfied man as the game provided him with a rare opportunity to assess a few different combinations as he does not have that luxury with the games coming in thick and fast.
The Gems started off brightly, going to the first quarter beak trailing by only four goals, South Africa leading 15-11.
However, endurance and inexperience probably improved the Gems, and the SPAR Proteas opened a considerable gap between the successive quarters. The UK-based Gems captain Felisitus Kwangwa said they are using these games to develop a team that competes at any stage in two years.
“We are happy to rub shoulders with the best players in the game, and we believe we gave them a good run. We are staying positive, and we are happy with the progress we are making in trying to bring in new players into the team,” said Kwangwa.
“That’s why despite us trailing behind in the match today, our coach made several substitutions and brought on new players to gain the much-needed experience and exposure. Our main goal is to have a good team that will compete at the next Netball world cup to be held in 2023 in South Africa.”
Zimbabwe date hosts Namibia tomorrow before meeting Pent Series runners-up Malawi on Thursday.
A date against Tanzania on Friday will be followed by a doubleheader against Pent Series winners Uganda and Zambia on Saturday before winding off their group stage matches against Botswana and Kenya on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
