THE Zimbabwe national netball team will bow out of what has been a bitterly disappointing World Cup campaign today against Barbados to determine 13th and 14th place finish, but it has not been all doom and gloom as some individuals maintained their sparkle in that rubble.
A win today will give the Gems only their third victory of the tournament after they failed to register a single win where it mattered most in the first group stage losing to Australia, Tonga and Fiji, falling far short of their top four target going into the tournament.
But there will be something to be proud about with captain Felistus Kwangwa putting herself in the frame of finishing with the most intercepts.
By yesterday, Kwangwa led the intercepts chart with 22 ahead of Australia’s Courtney Bruce who was her closest rival with 19.
Kwangwa said while such statistics were not her ultimate goal she acknowledged the small successes which she hopes can culminate in something big.
“This is not what I was looking forward to at this tournament. Things unfolded quickly and we didn’t get where we wanted as a team. Nevertheless there were some small wins and I hope they add up to something big,” she wrote on her social media handles.
Kwangwa was one of the stand out performers at the 2019 edition of the World Cup which attracted England’s Super League side Surrey Storm, who snapped her.
Elizabeth Mushore is also up there on the intercepts table with 13 while Australia-based Nalani Makunde, who made her debut for Zimbabwe at the World Cup, was by yesterday among the top 10 goal scorers.
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She was by yesterday placed 9th after scoring 161 goals in an impressive start to her international career.
Progress Moyo was among the top feeds with 128. Only Bethan Dyke (144) have a better record.
Zimbabwe will be hoping to finish with a flourish against a side they have already lost to at this tournament.
The players expect to carry on the momentum after their morale boosting wins over Sri Lanka and Singapore.
