Tough battles in store

Sri Lanka have not had an ideal preparation heading into their title defence at the Asian Netball Championship (ANC), which starts at the OCBC Arena on Saturday.

They have not played an international tournament since the 2019 Netball World Cup, while their rivals have gone on overseas training tours recently.

But the reigning champions still believe they can retain their title at the Sept 3-11 tournament.

Before a major competition, the team would usually have an overseas exposure series, said captain Gayanjali Amarawansa. But they were unable to do so this year because of the pandemic and economic situation.

Singapore went on three tours in Australia and Fiji this year, while last month, the Philippines competed in the International Netball Event in South Korea and Malaysia had a training stint in Perth.

The Sri Lankans had to settle for practice matches at home and competing in the local leagues with their respective clubs.

Amarawansa, 27, said: "We've been practising well since January and our coach has a plan... The girls are very stable physically and mentally, so we're ready.

"The exposure series would have been good because we can learn from our mistakes and study our strengths and weaknesses. We couldn't have it this time but we can identify those (strengths and weaknesses) as a team."

The favourites for this year's ANC, Sri Lanka are also the biennial tournament's most successful team, having won it five times. But Amarawansa, who works as a banker, knows it will be a tough title defence, adding that they are definitely monitoring Singapore and Malaysia, who have experienced players.

Two-time winners Malaysia have seven returning players from the 2018 ANC in their 12-strong squad. They also have a new coach, Australian Lisa Beehag, who was appointed in 2020 but rejoined the team only in April because of the pandemic.

She said: "I'm absolutely pleased with their progress... We've worked really hard through a few things and the last camp was good."

Captain Nur Syafazliyana Mohd Ali said the Perth tour was a fruitful one as they learnt about their strengths and areas for improvement and found ways to counter different playing styles.

The top two sides at the 11-team ANC will earn spots at next year's Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.

But three-time champions Singapore face a tricky task to qualify for the showpiece tournament again.

Five players - Khor Ting Fang, Amandeep Kaur, Miki Ng, Tan Yi Jie and Yew Shu Ning - are making their debut at a major international tournament, while the squad are also missing stalwarts Aqilah Andin, Vanessa Lee and Nurul Baizura from 2018.

But Singapore coach Annette Bishop believes the team will come through, adding that the tours gave the players much-needed exposure and lessons.

Bishop, who is taking charge at her first major tournament, said her young team can now showcase their skills before the home crowd.

"Yes, they may be lacking a bit in experience but what they have physically makes up for it and it's a great opportunity for them to step up and take the lead," she added.

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