The newly appointed head coach of the Desert Jewels of Namibia, Malawi’s Mary Waya, has high hopes that her charges will perform well at the upcoming Africa Netball World Cup qualifiers, slated to take place in Pretoria, South Africa, from 20 to 27 August.

Waya, who is settling in well in Namibia, said that the players are adjusting to her tactics since she took over two weeks ago.

The Malawian, assisted by Lloyd Makunde and Antoinette Wentworth, brought in quality players to the squad after carrying out a nationwide search to enhance the team following their previous outing at the regional Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (Cosana) Tri-Nations Tournament, which was held in Malawi in June.

The Desert Jewels finished last in the tournament, registering a single victory over Zimbabwe.

Malawi, ranked third in Africa, recorded victories over Zimbabwe and Namibia on its way to claiming the Cosana Tri-Nations title.

Preparing to succeed

Waya said the players are responding well to the training and tactics.

“The players are fit. They are going for strength and conditioning training every day. We want to play well in the qualifiers. Namibia is good. The people are friendly and ,with my assistance, we are working together well.

She added that expectations are high.

“We are busy analysing the statistics of all our opponents. We are assessing their weaknesses and strengths, so that we know if we meet Zimbabwe or Botswana, we are going to use their weaknesses to do well.”

She told Namibian Sun Sports Desk that she is enjoying the diverse cultures in Namibia and that everything so far reminds her of home.

Jewels goalkeeper, Mwale Mulenanamaswe, said training has been going well and she is confident their performance will be good.

“I can’t say how good we will perform, but please keep watching for updates,” she told Namibian netball fans.

The team is expected to leave on 19 August for Pretoria.