Proteas celebrate after taking steps forward in clean sweep over Malawi

Team captain Khanyisa Chawane is pleased with the early progress shown by the Proteas netball squad under new leadership.

Captaining the SA team for the first time since she took the reins from former skipper Bongi Msomi, Chawane led them to a 3-0 clean sweep in their three-match Test series against Malawi at Ellis Park which concluded on Sunday.

The Proteas crushed the tourists in all three Spar Challenge encounters. After racing to a 68-31 victory in the first game, they picked up a 69-38 win in the second fixture, before coasting to a 69-24 victory in the final clash.

“I’m really happy with how we went about this whole series, how we started and how we finished,” Chawane said.

“As much as the coaches did look for more consistency, I think we did climb up each and every game and really improved.

“I’m really impressed with the group because every combination that the coach decided to put on, we were there for one another and really played well.”

Enjoying the moment

Though she and her squad had set themselves loftier goals in the long run, head coach Jenny van Dyk was delighted to get her tenure off to a winning start.

Van Dyk, coaching the team for the first time in a series since taking over from Norma Plummer, felt they had taken some steps forward as they looked ahead to some bigger challenges next season.

“At this stage, it’s important for us to enjoy the moment,” Van Dyk said.

“We’ve got a 3-0 victory over Malawi on our first run and we’ve tested quite a lot of different combinations and we’ve put all our players to the test.”

Setting standards

Kamogelo Maseko was named Player of the Series, and the 22-year-old goal attack said the Proteas had learned a lot as a squad, despite their opponents struggling to put up much of a fight.

“Malawi offered a different style of play every match so it was just about adapting but also not derailing from the game plan,” Maseko said.

“This Test series helped us set our own standards as a team and to just see where we are as a unit.”