With the World Cup less than 200 days away, the South African netball team is ready to gauge themselves against the best in the world at the Quad Series that starts tomorrow (Saturday) in Cape Town. The final will be played on January 25.

The Proteas, currently ranked fifth in the world, will come up against Australia (1), New Zealand (2) and England (3) in the series at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The venue will also host the World Cup from July 28 to August 6.

It will be a year of lasts for Protea captain Bongi Msomi when she steps onto the court tomorrow for South Africa’s first match, against New Zealand. She celebrated her 35th yesterday (Thursday) and will in all likelihood retire after the World Cup.

She says the team is ready to go.

“The girls are really pumped and ready to get onto the court. It is early in the year, however, the spirits are quite high. The series is very important for us because we need to see how far we are in terms of readiness, especially for the World Cup.”

South Africa will have to do without the services of defender Nicola Smith and goal shooter Elmere van den Berg, who are out due to injury. However, Karla Pretorius returns to the team for the first time in 15 months, after welcoming her first child last year. The stellar defender was named player of the tournament in the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool.

After previously coaching the Proteas between 2016 and 2019, Norma Plummer returned in November and will be with the squad until the World Cup later in the year. According to the Australian, the Quad series is vital in such an important year.

“We have a combination of good players, both experienced and young. We just need to make sure that we manage them well and get the best from everyone. Quad is an important one, especially during a World Cup year and because we are also playing teams that are ranked above us, we get to punch above our own weight. I think we have a chance to cause a few upsets.”

Matches in the 2023 Quad Series:

January 21

• 16:00 – South Africa vs New Zealand
• 18:00 – Australia vs England

January 22

• 16:00 – South Africa vs England
• 18:00 – Australia vs New Zealand

January 24

• 16:00 – England vs New Zealand
• 18:00 – South Africa vs Australia

January 25

• 16:00 – Play-off for 3rd and 4th
• 18:00 – Final