Having experienced players at a tournament is key in determining how far a team will go. The Spar Proteas will be counting on that when they take to the court in the Netball World Cup.
The host nation opens its 2023 Netball World Cup campaign against Wales on Friday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The 16 team global competition will run until 6 August.
South Africa will be hoping having a couple of players who have represented the country in over 100 matches will shine through to lead the team to the promised land. Although the Norma Plummer led side took an impressive fourth place finish at the last edition, expectations are for the team to improve and record a second medal in the competition. The Proteas have only finished on the podium once, this was in the 1995 edition where they brought home a silver medal
BONGIWE MSOMI: 158 CAPS (CAPTAIN)
The centre court player has been leading the team from the front for a while. Msomi has been one of the most consistent players in the senior national teams over the years since she was appointed as captain.
The agile player started playing netball by chance when she was asked to stand in for a player who missed training and has been an integral part of the national team. She is the highest capped player for the national team. Msomi made her debut for the Proteas in 2011 and her pacey and creative play on the court saw her get appointed as Maryka Holtzhausen's assistant in 2013. Following Holtzhausen’s knee injury in 2016 the former Adelaide Thunderbirds player was handed the armband on a permanent based.
Since then she has led the team to several Quad Series tournaments, two Commonwealth Games, and the 2023 World Cup edition will be her second where she will lead as captain. Cape Town will be her fourth World Cup appearance.
PHUMZA MAWENI: 108
The lanky goal keeper will be playing in her last World Cup tournament. This edition is more special for her because it is hosted in her home city. It will also mark her third World Cup appearance. For a player that made her senior international debut at 29 years old, Maweni has made a name for herself and proven that it is never too late to attain and live your dreams.
At the age of 38, she is the oldest player in the Proteas squad having made her debut in 2014 when South Africa hosted Scotland for a three test match series in Belville, Cape Town. Even though the 2023 World Cup will be her last, she will not be retiring from the sport any time soon.
“I never thought I would reach where I am now and play for this long. Or even to play at home, in front of my (own) crowd, in front of my family. Just being part of this, I just can’t believe I am really on this journey and part of this legacy,” she says.
REACHING 100 CAPS IN THE TOURNAMENT
Karla Pretorius: 98 caps (vice captain)
Following an impressive performance at the 2019 edition of the World Cup, Pretorius is one of the players that the Proteas opponents will plan around. The goal defender will be playing in her fourth World Cup, the 2011 edition held in Singapore was her first one.
When she came back from maternity leave in late 2022, Pretorius continued showing the grit and athleticism she has posed over the years and that also saw her being named the Player of the Tournament in 2019. Her intercepts and turnovers during the 2023 Quad Series will be key in seeing the team over the line in this World Cup.
“As senior players, we pride ourselves in the fact that we bring a lot of experience. In terms of myself and not just the performance on the court but on what can I do in terms of my leadership and experience to help others, you want to bring the best out of your teammates. So not just about my performance but what I can do to assist the one next to me, make her look great and what can we do to get the team together as a team. You can be great as individuals but if you can’t work together as a team then it’s (worth) nothing. We want to work together as a group and we know that the team that works the best together is the team that will go all the way,” she says
IZETTE GRIESEL: 92 CAPS
Griesel made her debut against Scotland she has been an integral part of the national team since then. The 2023 edition of the tournament will be her third World Cup tournament after featuring for the national team in Sydney at the 2015 edition. She was also part of the team that achieved the top four finish in Liverpool in 2019.
Griesel, who recently won her sixth Telkom Netball League title with the Gauteng Jaguars will come into the competition still high from winning the national competition. The centre court player has also represented the country at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games tournaments and