Queens slump further to 9th

Malawi Queens’ downward spiral in world netball rankings continues as they dropped a step further to ninth. According to the latest rankings released by World Netball, the Malawi National Netball Team has been displaced by Tonga, who now occupy the eighth position. The development should give Queens’ new expatriate trainer and Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) high performance consultant food for thought as she tries to breathe a new lease of life into the once Africa’s top-ranked side.

On the continent, the Queens are still ranked third behind South Africa and Uganda, but face a threat from 10th and 11th-placed Scotland and Zimbabwe, respectively. According to worldnetball.com, the annual update removes matches played in the rating period from February 28 2022 to February 28 2023 and halves the weighting assigned to matches played between March 1 2023 and February 28 2025. On the rankings, England have also overtaken Jamaica having increased their rating by two to 186.

Also in the top 10, Uganda have strengthened their sixth place with their rating now 14 higher than Wales in seventh and Tonga have moved up to eighth having improved their rating by two to 119, pushing Malawi down to ninth with a rating of 112. Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) has described the Queens’ drop as a cause for concern. “But it is also a moment for reflection and continued focus on rebuilding,” said NAM general secretary Yamikani Kauma.

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“World rankings are largely determined by results in international matches over a period of time. When a team loses ranking matches, especially against teams ranked below them, it affects their points and overall position. “ She said recent defeats to teams such as Zimbabwe Gems have had an impact on the Queens’ ranking position.

“However, this situation should also be understood within the context that the team is going through a transition phase where several young players are being integrated into the senior squad. Building combinations and experience takes time, especially at the international level,” said Kauma On the way forward, she said NAM will trengthen preparations through regular camps and individualised training plans outside camp, increase international exposure by playing more test matches against top-ranked teams and investing in player development. “We will also Improve technical and physical conditioning through structured high-performance programmes. We already started taking steps in that direction, including organising local camps and bringing in technical expertise to support the team’s rebuilding process,” said Kauma.

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