Malawi Queens to warm up with New Zealand
Malawi national netball team will date Fast5 Netball World Series holders, New Zealand, in a warm up match scheduled for Thursday.
The Queens arrived in Perth, Australia, Monday before proceeding to Melbourne ahead of the two-day competition which throws off on Saturday.
Netball Association of Malawi (Nam) General Secretary, Carol Bapu, Monday said the players were in good spirits ahead of the tournament.
“We travelled well and every player is happy to be here to represent the country. The good thing is that we will play against New Zealand. It is a training game which would allow both sides to assess their squads before the tournament,” she said.
Bapu said the players were not affected by the unrest that engulfed the squad after the expulsion from camp of star-shooter Mwawi Kumwenda.
“As I told you, the players were encouraged to concentrate on preparations rather than administrative issues,” she said.
Nam expelled Kumwenda after she reported late for camp training in Blantyre.
Eventually, Coach Sam Kanyenda withdrew his services from the team after Nam had rejected his wish to recall the towering shooter.
The Queens face an uphill task of surpassing the third-place finish they achieved last year ahead of top sides such as England, Jamaica and South Africa.
New Zealand have won the championship a record six times whereas England won it once in 2011.
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