WITH things heating up in the Netball World Cup we have chosen one key player from each country in Pool G that has caught our eye throughout the competition so far.

England: Serena Guthrie

While England has a team full of big names taking the court, there are little more known than dynamic speedy centre, Serena Guthrie. Guthrie’s innate ability to find the ball in the air is second to none, with an uncanny reach and fluid speed all the way across the court contributing to her complete star power. Her ability to create turnovers is credit to her speed off the mark both on and off the body. Guthrie’s ability to perform to the highest capacity is only matched by her ability to elevate her teammates to be more creative and exciting with their play, highlighted by her own elevation to England Roses captaincy in recent months.

South Africa: Karla Pretorius

Arguably one of the best defenders in the world, the highly-touted Karla Pretorius is deserving of every single accolade sent her way. Her ability to find the loose ball is credit to her off the ball play, keeping her opposition in sight at all times and able to time intercepts and deflections to a tee. Her speed, quick change of direction and use of space enables her to propel the ball back through the midcourt with ease, making her a dangerous player in all aspects of her game. Despite being on the shorter side in comparison to fellow defenders, Pretorius’ impressive aerial ability outshines her height, enabling her to find the ball with ease and snatch it from under her opposition’s nose.

Jamaica: Jhaniele Fowler

Tall timber Jhaniele Fowler is no stranger to the spotlight, and for good reason given her dominant ways at the post. Her holding ability is second to none, while her aerial elevation is credit to her ability to find space to lead and find the ball with every feed into the circle. Her footwork is exceptional, splitting with ease to find the post every time while her game smarts is proven by her trust in both her feeders and fellow goalers. Fowler has the ability to shoulder the load at impressive accuracy, shooting 197 goals from 205 opportunities since the beginning of the tournament, despite sharing the role of goal shooter across the series.

Uganda: Peace Proscovia

Uganda’s star is unmistakably Peace Proscovia, credit to her accuracy, volume and sheer strength on court. Despite her height she is very mobile and can adjust her play accordingly to move with smaller goal attacks who switch up the circle or switching into goal attack if necessary to force issues with two tall timbers at the post. Her ability to find space at the post and avoid defenders has only elevated since joining the Suncorp Super Netball, while her ability to both should and share the load when necessary is only another addition to her already bursting resume of skills.

Trinidad and Tobago: Sam Wallace

Wallace is one of the most dynamic goalers in the competition, credit to her ability to switch up her gameplay based on teammates and opposition alike. Despite not coming away with many wins during the series, Sam Wallace’s bags of goals in every game makes her both a key player and a massive threat if not defended. Her accuracy is up there with the best, only missing 14 goals from 159 shots across her five matches to be the dominant scorer for the Calypso Girls and a force at the post regardless of who she comes up against given her agility and holding ability.

Scotland: Emily Nicholl

The dynamic defender has found some good form in what has been a mostly losing side, showcasing her versatility rotating through both midcourt circle defence credit to her ability to read the play with ease. Her defensive pressure and connection with teammates across the court gives her a clear leg-up when creating opposition turnovers, using her intuition to find fellow Thistles to speed back down the court. Averaging 11 penalties per game, Emily Nicholl’s relative cleanliness compared to fellow defenders has not gone unnoticed, while her penalty count has gone down in the past few games proving she has the ability to adapt and clean up her game if need be.