After a perfect start to their 2023 Netball World Cup on home soil, Spar Proteas star player Khanyisa Chawane is already setting her sights on their tough Jamaica encounter this evening.
South Africa beat Wales 61-50 in a pulsating Pool C opening match, while the Jamaicans put 100 past Sri Lanka – thumping them 105-25 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday.
The cold and wet weather of Cape Town did not stop the home crowd from coming out in their numbers to paint the Convention Centre green and gold, as the Spar Proteas opened their World Cup campaign in spectacular fashion.
Coach Norma Plummer once again depended on a solid performance from her centre and star player Chawane, who bossed the centre of the court with her strong presence and quick passing.
Chawane unsurprisingly stepped up, displaying a good performance on court against a determined Wales side.
Last night, SA played against Sri Lanka. The 27-year-old said game control would be crucial against the exciting Jamaican side.
“My role [in the team] is to keep the pace of the game intact.Sometimes the game can really lose its intensity,” Chawane said.
“So, to really keep that high standard and intensity, we need the centre to drive the ball and that is my role in the team.
“I always believe that on the day [of the match] anything can happen, so against Jamaica we just need to switch on and that is what the team is doing to ensure that we play our part and switch on to play our best netball.”
It goes without saying that Jamaica is South Africa’s toughest opponent in the pool, as they made a strong start to their campaign by demolishing Sri Lanka.
Youngsters Elmeré van der Berg and Ine-Marie Venter will also be crucial in front of the goal posts, with the latter winning the player of the match on Friday. Veteran goalkeeper Phumza Maweni, also instrumental in previous games, singled out Jamaica as the team to beat.
The two sides will take centre pass at the fully-packed venue tonight at 6.00pm.
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