Malawi National Netball Team players have blamed shooter Mwai Kumwenda for their loss against England, saying the Australia based player refused to come on as a substitute.
The Queens on Saturday lost 39-62 to England.
In a post-match video in which 10 players appear, the players have alleged that Kumwenda on two occasions refused to be introduced into the game.
Captain of the side Jane Chimaliro starts by apologising to Malawians for the loss, saying the Queens could have done better.
She then states that the Queens started well against England but their shooter Joyce Mvula got injured towards the end of the second quarter. According to Chimaliro, Mvula was supposed to be replaced with Mwai Kumwenda but Kumwenda refused to come on because there were only two minutes remaining before halftime.
“At halftime, the coach continued to ask Kumwenda to come on but the player still refused, saying the game was going on well,” she said.
She added that they were forced to start the third quarter with short shooters, Jean Chimaliro and Sindi Simtowe.
“We all know that Mwai is a professional player and reliable player for the Malawi National Netball Team but today she has disappointed us by refusing to play and this is the reason we lost to England,” said Chimaliro.
She also defended Queens coach Sam Kanyenda saying social media claims that Kanyenda did not want Mwai to play are not true.
“It’s not true, she is the one who refused to play and we are disappointed because she is our professional and Malawi depends on her,” said Chimaliro.
In an interview with The Nation, Mwai confirmed that she was asked to come on as a substitute with two minutes remaining before halftime.
“It was two minutes. Two minutes, it’s hard for a professional player like me to get on. I need to warm up and we have no time,” she said.
The Queens started the World Cup on Friday with a win over Scotland and they play their third game today against Barbados.
