Excitement is building in the SPAR Proteas camp ahead of the international netball Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series against Jamaica in Kingston, starting on Saturday.
It is the first South African netball tour to Jamaica since 2012.
Coach Jenny van Dyk said the players are looking forward to the three-Test series.
“It is always a challenge to play Jamaica, who have a very distinctive style.
But it is even more challenging now because most of their frontline players play in the Australian league, so their style is now a blend of Caribbean and Australian netball.
They are a very experienced team, and they have three fantastic shooters.
Jamaica is now ranked third in the world, behind Australia and New Zealand.
We are thrilled to be playing them, because if we want to be the best, we must play the best,” said Van Dyk during a virtual media briefing.
The SPAR Proteas had a grueling trip to Kingston, flying via Doha and New York, but Van Dyk said they have recovered from the journey, which took more than 30 hours.
“We took the advice of other South African teams that have travelled long distances, and we stayed awake when we needed to be awake, even though we could hardly keep our eyes open.
But we have adapted well, and we are enjoying the island vibe.
We plan to hit the ground running, and we have done a lot of research and preparation for this series.
We don’t often get a chance to play against Jamaica and we are determined to be competitive.
“We beat Jamaica the last time we played here, and our assistant coach, Zanele Mdodana, was part of that team, so she is able to tell us what to expect,” remarked the coach.
South Africa last beat Jamaica at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool in 2019.
Captain Khanyisa Chawane said the players are very excited to be playing against Jamaica at home.
“We are more used to playing against Australia, New Zealand, and England, so this is going to be very different.
We know the crowd is going to be behind Jamaica, but we will deal with that.
We just want to play good netball,” remarked Mdodana.
Van Dyk said that although the SPAR Proteas were going on to the United Kingdom after Jamaica to play in the Nations Cup against England, Uganda and Malawi, their focus right now was on the Jamaica series.
“Every match we play is part of our preparation for the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup, but every time we step on court, we play to win.
So, while we have the future in mind, we are concentrating on what we must do now,” explained Van Dyk.
In addition, the SPAR Baby Proteas will play the Jamaica Under21 team in curtain raisers to the three Tests, which will be played on Saturday January 18, Wednesday January 22, and Saturday January 25.
