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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Under-21 netball team leaves the country this morning for the Netball World Youth Cup qualifiers in Gaborone, Botswana, from July 23-31.

Eight countries are taking part in the qualifiers, whose finals will be held in the same country from July 8-16, 2017.

Zimbabwe will compete for the three available places against Lesotho, South Africa, Zambia, Swaziland, Malawi, Namibia and Uganda, while Botswana automatically qualify as tournament hosts.

Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) organising secretary Alex Masimba said they were ready for the qualifiers that will see four teams, including hosts Botswana, booking tickets to the world championships.

“We are taking 14 players to these qualifiers and are confident of success there because these are the same girls that won gold for the country at the African Union Sports Council Region Five Games held in Bulawayo in 2014,” said Masimba. Zimbabwe beat South Africa 45-37 in that final.

The team had been camping at St Peter’s High School in Harare from July 1. It initially comprised 28 players before coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki trimmed the number to 14. Zina president Letticia Chipandu will be head of delegation.

Meanwhile, the qualifiers will see implementation of the International Netball Federation (INF)’s latest rules of the game, which became effective on January 1 for international matches, while member associations will start implementing them in domestic matches in September 2016.

The changes are aimed at improving excitement of the game as it will see, among other new things, a reduction in whistle blowing by umpires, quicker management of injuries and clearer options for controlling discipline.

Umpires will no longer have to use their whistle to indicate that a goal has been scored or when the ball has gone out of the court.

Players can receive cautions and warnings before being suspended from the game, or ordered off, depending on the severity of the offence.