Proteas remain unbeaten at Netball World Cup

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The Proteas maintained a perfect start to their Netball World Cup campaign with a dominant 87-32 win over Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Rookie Jeante Strydom, who earned her first Proteas cap against Wales on Friday, was the hero with an MVP performance.

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Proteas remain unbeaten

Shadine van der Merwe and Nicola Smith were also in fine form to ensure that Sri Lanka were never really in the match.

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The opening point of the game was scored by Elmere’ van der Berg, much to the delight of the crowd packed into the CTICC in Cape Town.

From that moment forth, the points kept flowing for the Proteas.

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Nicola Smith of South Africa during the 2023 Netball World Cup game between South Africa and Wales at CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa on 28 July 2023 Photo Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

Ine-Mari Venter, who was the player of the match against Wales on Friday, was replaced by Nichole Taljaard, who seems to be just as red-hot. In the first quarter, van der Berg and Taljaard’s axis performed admirably to form the basis of the Proteas game.

In just 15 minutes, South Africa sprinted out to a 15-goal advantage. The Proteas were unstoppable, putting Sri Lanka firmly on the back foot with their interceptions and deft passing.

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Coach Plummer made adjustments in the second half, much like she did against the Welsh on Friday.

Irvette Grisel was replaced at centre by Chanyisa Chawane, and captain Msomi was also benched. In addition, when Karla Pretorius replaced Shadine van der Merwe, she earned her 100th cap for the Proteas.

South African supporters remained loud as the third quarter’s finish drew near as their team continued to dominate the game.