South Africa wary of Malawi Queens

South Africa netball team fear the Malawi Queens could be the stumbling block in their quest to defend the Diamond Challenge which commenced yesterday in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

The Spar Proteas will compete against Uganda, Zambia and Malawi in the four-day tournament. South Africa face the Queens this evening.

Netball South Africa chief executive officer Blanche de la Guerre feels Malawi will give them tough competition than any other team.

“Uganda is an underdog and might cause a huge upset. Malawi will play their best netball to show South Africa that they deserve their fifth position in the world. Zambia have trained hard and we are looking to see the progress they have made, but it is Malawi that we should be afraid of,” Gueree told South African publication City Press on Monday.

Spar Proteas goal defender Karla Mostert also shared Guerre’s sentiments, saying the game against Malawi will not be easy.

“I think Malawi will be the hardest team to beat. But we are not going to underestimate Uganda. We just need to stick to our game plan and focus on what we do well, using our strong points, then everything will go well,” said Mostert.

The Diamond Challenge will be used to prepare for the World Cup to be held in Australia from August 9-15.

All the four teams will represent Africa at the World Cup in Sydney.