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Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe senior women netball team has moved up the ladder in the International Netball Federation (INF) World Rankings.

According to recently updated rankings based on matches played between February 8 and March 19, the Zimbabwe girls now sit at number 16 after winning the Tri-Nations tournament held in Hong Kong from March 16-19.

Zimbabwe won all their matches in that tournament against the hosts and Malaysia. They beat Malaysia 52-28 in their opening match before defeating Hong Kong 46-30. Zimbabwe went on to beat Hong Kong 42-28 in the final to lift the series and as a result moved one place up from number 17.

Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA) president Leticia Chipandu said the improvement in ranking is a good sign and marks the evolution of the game in the country.

“This is a really good improvement and I believe this marks the beginning of a new era for the sport in Zimbabwe. The girls have represented the country very well and we are looking forward to further moving up the rankings through hard work,” Chipandu said.

Australia remains the top ranked team in the world followed by New Zealand, England and Jamaica. South Africa are the highest ranked African side on the rankings at number five followed by Malawi at number six, Uganda at number 13 and Zambia at number 15.

INF World Rankings

Played Weighted Ratings
1    Australia     45 35 208
2    New Zealand     56 43 186
3    England         57 40 162
4    Jamaica     27 21 152
5    South Africa     42 32 138
6    Malawi     23 16 137
7    Fiji     27 20 117
8    Wales     34 25 113
9    Trinidad & Tobago     35 22 100
10    Scotland     38 26 97
16    Zimbabwe     14 10 68