England maintained their perfect record against Malawi, securing a 62-39 win at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town on Saturday.
The victory followed England's impressive 90-29 win over Barbados in the previous game, while Malawi had staged a come-from-behind win against Scotland.
The match started with England facing initial difficulties in converting their first centre pass, which allowed Malawi to take an early lead.
Malawi goal shooter Joyce Mvula, who has previously played for Manchester Thunder in the Netball Super League in the UK, played a prominent role in the game.
Throughout the first quarter, England seemed somewhat caught off guard by Malawi's skillful play, and the African team managed to stay close, trailing by only two goals.
However, in the second quarter, Malawi's performance began to falter, giving England some breathing space and allowing them to establish a lead of 29-20 at halftime.
After the break, England exhibited a significant improvement in their performance, overcoming the rocky start to the match. The defensive duo of Geva Mentor and Layla Guscoth brought stability to the team and they started moving with more ease.
In the third quarter, play was temporarily halted when Malawi's centre, Takondwa Lwazi, suffered a fall and had to be assisted off court.
However, she returned to play in the last 15 minutes. During this period, England pulled away further, outscoring Malawi by 10 goals.
While Malawi managed to regain some ground in the last quarter, they could not replicate their performance from the previous match against Scotland.
The Queens lost consistency and concentration which ultimately cost them the game.
England make it back-to-back wins at #NWC2023 following a win against Malawi - their first loss in the tournament ?#HereForHer pic.twitter.com/Nfh2Ls1lPw
— SuperSport ?? (@SuperSportTV) July 29, 2023
Most Valuable Player: Helen Housby
Goal Shooting Percentage: England 93.9% / Malawi 79.6.%
Penalty Count (Contact and Obstruction) : England 38 / Malawi 64
Quarter scores: 12-10 / 29-20 / 48-29 / 62-39