NEDBANK Zimbabwe sponsored Gems outshone Barbados 75-48 to exit the 2023 Netball World Cup on Friday on a high in Cape Town.
The win by the Gems ensured that they finished the tournament ranked number 13.
It was a sweet revenge, having lost to the same opposition 45-62 earlier in the tournament.
Telkom Spar player of the match, debutant Nalani Makunde was ecstatic with the result.
“I think today (Friday) I was quite happy with our performance. Obviously, we played Barbados earlier, and we lost to them, so we really didn’t want a repeat of how we performed then,” said Makunde.
“I think we all just really wanted to finish the tournament on a high.”
The Gems matched Barbados pound for pound and were no pushovers in a physical battle for the duration of the match.
Makunde added that while they illuminate the courts with their sparkling nature of a gem, they have since mastered the physical game thanks to their training back home, where they often play gruelling duels against the men’s netball national team.
“I think just the fact that we are used to it, like day in day out, we train physicality so that when we get to matches, it’s normal,” said the talented Australian-based Goal Shooter.
After a respectable eighth-place finish at their debut World Cup appearance in Liverpool, England, in 2019, Zimbabwe set themselves a target to finish in the top four.
However, their plans went up in smoke after losing all their group-stage matches; 86-30 against the Diamonds of Australia, 48-52 against Fiji and 55-46 versus Tonga.
