“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth, American professional baseball player
The news that Melbourne Vixens star Mwai Kumwenda refused to play when she was asked to against England in the second round is disheartening and disappointing.
Kumwenda argued that the two minutes of the second term was not enough time for her to make a formidable impact. However, I find this to be a lame excuse. Professional players are supposed to be alert at all times, and they should be able to warm up quickly and effectively.
Furthermore, Kumwenda cannot assume the role of both player and technical coach. It is the technical coach who decides which player should be fielded at a particular time. In this case, the technical director, Sam Kanyenda, had planned to feature Kumwenda when the England defense squad had tired.
The truth of the matter is that refusing to take the coach’s decision smacks of insubordination and indiscipline. This must be carefully checked out.
However, I do not think that it is fair to blame the loss of the game solely on Kumwenda. The Queens cannot win every game, and it is important to remember that they are a team. There were other factors that contributed to the loss, such as Takondwa Lwazi’s fall in the third quarter and the cautions given to defenders Loreen Ngwira and Towera Vinkhumbo.
In conclusion, while it is indiscipline for Kumwenda to refuse to take the court, the technical coaching team must also put their house in order. They need to have contingency plans in place in case a single player is unable to play. Furthermore, they need to avoid over-dependence on any one player.
The Malawi national netball team is a great team with a lot of potential. However, if they want to be successful, they need to work together as a team and avoid making excuses.
