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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE got their campaign at the Netball World Cup qualifiers underway on a winning note on Monday when they beat Botswana 49-41 in Pretoria, South Africa.

It was an important win for Zimbabwe, who are in Pool A that is also featuring South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania.

Zimbabwe got off to a good start taking the lead in the first quarter which ended 13-8 in their favour.

Goal shooter Joice Takaidza teamed up with goal attack Tafadzwa Matura in the first two quarters.

The Gems went into halftime leading 22-20 as they failed to utilise a number of chances in the second quarter.

The technical team made changes in the third quarter, bringing in Sharon Bwanali for Takaidza. Zimbabwe were kept on their toes as Botswana settled into the game, and it was goal for goal at some point with Botswana trailing by just a goal.

However, the combination of Matura and Bwanali worked out well and Zimbabwe eventually stretched the lead to win 49-41.

Speaking to SuperSport after the match, Gems assistant coach Tatenda Shinya said they were happy with the win.

“We played very well. I am happy with the players, they demonstrated what we told them at training and we are so proud that we managed to get a win. There is no bad win…this game was crucial for us to win,” said Shinya

Zimbabwe take on Namibia on Tuesday in their second Pool A game.