Gems target top ten finish

By Mbekezeli Ncube

The Zimbabwe netball team is targeting a top ten finish in their maiden World Cup appearance according to the team's coach Lloyd Makunde.

The tournament will run from the 12th to the 22nd of July in Liverpool, England.

The Gems, as the Zimbabwean team is affectionately known by netball lovers was drawn in group A together with Australia, Northern Ireland as well as Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe currently sits on position 14 on the current International Netball Federation rankings. Australia are the number one ranked team while Northern Ireland are ranked ninth. Sri Lanka is the lowest ranked team in the group as they sit on position 19.

'The team is ready for the games, as we all know that this is our debut appearance in the World Cup, we are targeting a top ten finish and we promise to play at our maximum best,' Makunde told our reporter.

The competition starts with the sides competing in four round-robin groups that will start from 12 July to 14 July.

The Gems are one of four nations to represent Africa in the competition alongside Uganda, South Africa and Malawi. Zimbabwe qualified for the world cup in fine fashion as they won all of their qualifier matches.

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