Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls are scheduled to depart the island today for the Netball World Cup tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.

The highly anticipated championship, to be staged on the African continent for the first time, is scheduled for July 28 to August 6.

The Sunshine Girls, who are ranked fourth in the world, will enter the championships oozing confidence, this after their historic silver-medal-winning performance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, last August.

However, they have failed to win a medal at the last three global netball championships. At the most recent staging, the Jamaicans finished a disappointing fifth at the tournament, which was held in Liverpool, England, in 2019.

However, Netball Jamaica (NJ) President Tricia Robinson said she is optimistic the Sunshine Girls will end their 12-year medal drought.

“The ladies have put the work in and they are prepared and we are going for gold,” said Robinson.

“I am very confident in their capabilities because they know what it means for themselves and they know what it means for the country and I think that they are up to the task for the big dance,” she said.

The Sunshine Girls team includes seven players who recently completed their season in the Suncorp Super League in Australia. They are Captain Jhaniele Fowler, Romelda Aiken, Shamera Sterling, Shimona Nelson, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Jodiann Ward, and Latanya Wilson.

Robinson added that this team is one of the strongest to have ever been selected to represent Jamaica.

“We have a very strong team led by the Captain Jhaniele Fowler and Vice-Captain Shamera Sterling and so they are quite capable and they are up to the task.

“This is also a very strong all-round team with a lot of depth because as you know, seven of our players that are going to the World Cup play in the Australian League and these players are among the best players in that competition,” Robinson stated.

The Netball Jamaica boss said the Sunshine Girls are not too perturbed by talk that they are among the favourites to win the competition. Robinson insisted they are mentally and physically ready to deal with whatever difficulties that they may face in South Africa.

“It is business as usual for the team because our eyes are fixed on the main goal and we are going for gold at this championship, one game at time. Pressure is always going to be there and the girls have prepared themselves to deal with it,” Robinson said.

Squad — Jhaniele Fowler (captain), Romelda Aiken, Shamera Sterling, Shimona Nelson, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Jodiann Ward, Latanya Wilson, Shanice Beckford, Rebekah Robinson, Khadijah Williams, Nicole Dixon-Rochester, Adean Thomas, Crystal Plummer, Kimone Shaw and Abigail Sutherland.