Multi-skilled towering defender Towera Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda says she looks forward to transfering her incredible netball form to the national women’s football team ahead of the Cosafa Championship in South Africa.
She joined the national women football team camp at Mpira Village in Chiwembe, Blantyre, on Thursday after helping Malawi Queens finish sixth at the Netball World Cup in England, where she managed to win the player-of-the-match accolade.
Nyirenda said her first task is to fight for a place in the final 20-player squad that coach Abel Mkandawire is expected to announce tomorrow.
“I am happy that finally I have joined the squad. I know the team has been working hard and I also must work hard in the remaining days to show the coach that I deserve to be in the final squad.
“I do not think I will struggle to catch up with the rest of the team because I believe the fitness training I recently had with the Queens will keep me in shape,” she said.
The prolific defender said after failing to qualify for the semi-finals in the last two editions of the competition, this time they will try their best to do better.
“Our target is to reach the semi-finals and Malawians should have trust us and support us,” she said.
Mkandawire believes Vinkhumbo is going to catch up, but urged her to prove that she will add value to the squad.
“She is a good player with lots of experience and brings a lot of stability in the team. Her fitness level is superb but now she has to prove on the pitch if she will be able to adapt to our tactical orientations that we have been doing in the past days. It is not automatic that she will jump into the final squad,” he said.
The team will leaves for South Africa on Monday and their first fixture in their four-team Group A is against Madagascar next Wednesday.
The Cosafa Women’s Championship will be held in Port Elizabeth between July 31 and August 11 and Malawi are in Group A alongside defending champions South Africa, Comoros and Madagascar. n
