The 16th staging of the Vitality Netball World Cup gets underway Friday in Cape Town, South Africa, and the highly fancied Sunshine Girls, ranked number four in the world, have their eyes firmly on the top prize.

The Jamaicans have been drawn in Pool C against hosts South Africa, Wales, and Sri Lanka.

Here is what you need to know about the 15-member Sunshine Girls team who are being touted as the strongest-ever Jamaican side, with the inclusion of seasoned veterans and rising stars who are up for the challenge.

Romelda Aiken-George

Age: 34

Position: Goal Shooter (GS)

Club: New South Wales Swifts

Akien-George is making her grand return to major championships netball, having missed out on last year’s Commonwealth Games due to maternity leave. The NSW Swift player made her debut for the Sunshine Girls in 2005 as a replacement but quickly rose to prominence at the 2007 Netball World Cup in New Zealand. In June of this year, Aiken-George scored 27 goals on 30 attempts in the Suncorp Super Netball League in Australia, writing her name in history with 8000 National League goals. She also holds the most goals in a final at 63.

Shanice Beckford

Age: 28

Position: Goal attack (GA)/Wing attack (WA)

Club: Manchester Spurs

As a youngster, Beckford balanced netball with track and field before eventually choosing the bib over the track. She made her national team debut at just 18 years old, representing the Sunshine Girls at the Netball World Youth Cup. At the senior level, she was a part of the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth bronze medal winning teams and the 2015 squad that placed fourth at the Netball World Cup. The elite goal attack was a member of the history making team that won silver at last year’s staging of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. In April, she defended her Seprod/Netball Jamaica Elite League title with the Manchester Spurs, claiming Most Valuable Player in the process. Beckford attained a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a Major in Marketing and a Minor in Human Resources.

Jhaniele Fowler

Age: 34

Position: GS

Club: West Coast Fever

Fowler, who is tasked with captaining the Sunshine Girls, is considered one of the greatest players to step foot in the Suncorp Super Netball competition in Australia. She has a total of eight league MVPs to date, winning five straight and was considered “the greatest of all time (GOAT)” by Netball Jamaica president Tricia Robinson. Fowler showed her class at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, leading Jamaica to an historic silver medal. The West Coast Fever player also plays Waulgrovians Club in the Netball Jamaica (NJ)/Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) Major League in Clarendon and has been a prominent figure for the Sunshine Girls since 2010.

Shimona Nelson (Reserve)

Age: 24

Position: GS

Club: Collingwood Magpies

Nelson first represented Jamaica in 2017 at the Under-21 level and at the Fast5 team. She earned a Commonwealth Games silver medal with the Sunshine Girls in 2022. Nelson is known for her accuracy and volume, making her a threatening figure at the post. She is currently studying psychology in hopes of becoming a sports psychologist.

Rebekah Robinson

Age: 28

Position: GA/WA

Robinson was a part of 2018 Commonwealth Games team that won bronze on Australia’s Gold Coast and the historic silver medal winning team in Birmingham 2022. She played for the Celtic Dragons in the Vitality Netball Superleague from 2019 to 2021. She made her Netball World Cup debut in 2019 with the Sunshine Girls.

Nicole Dixon-Rochester

Age: 28

Position: Centre (C)/WA

Club: Manchester Spurs

Dixon-Rochester previously plied her trade professionally in England and plays locally for Manchester Spurs. She copped bronze as part of the Jamaican squad at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia and was an unused reserved player at the 2014 edition of the tournament.

Crystal Plummer

Age: 20

Position: C/WD

Plummer, who was introduced to the senior setup in 2022, is set to make her Netball World Cup debut in Cape Town, South Africa. She was a part of the Netball Americas Qualifiers team for the Fast Five Netball series in New Zealand last year and the England tour earlier this year. Plummer helped the Sunshine Girls to a first-ever gold medal at the Cantral America and Caribbean (CAC) Games in San Salvador, El Salvador. She is expected to replace Shadian Hemmings who retired. She is a current student at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town St Catherine.

Abigale Sutherland (Reserve)

Position: C

The former Queen’s School standout made her first Sunshine Girls appearance last year. She was a member of the Fast Five World series squad at the Christchurch Arena in New Zealand last year. She was also a part of the Vitality three-Test Netball International Series at the AO Arena in Manchester against rivals England Roses in January. Sutherland made history along with her fellow teammates at this year’s staging of the CAC Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, winning Jamaica’s first gold medal in the sport. Sutherland pursued her studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Adean Thomas

Age: 28

Position: C/WA/WD

The 28-year-old has racked up a solid resume for the number four ranked Sunshine Girls, having won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, an historic silver at the 2022 staging of the event in Birmingham, England and CAC gold in San Salvador, El Salvador this year. The versatile netballer played in the Netball Super League in 2020-201, making 11 appearances in total.

Khadijah Williams

Age: 28

Position: C/WA

Williams made her first Sunshine Girls appearance in 2013 against England and since then, has primarily been considered a midcourter. Like many of her other teammates, she won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland and in 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.

Kadie-Ann Dehaney

Age: 26

Position: GD/GK

Club: Sunshine Coast Lightning

Dehaney is known for her agility and athleticism, while being very comfortable playing either goalkeeper or goal defence. She will be making her third appearance for the Sunshine Girls at the Netball World Cup.

Kimone Shaw (Reserve)

Position: Defender

Shaw is one of the newer players on the squad. Despite her short time on the team, she has already attained Under-23 gold at the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committee (CANOC) Games, CAC Games gold in San Salvador, El Salvador and was a part of the New Zealand Series in January.

Latanya Wilson

Age: 22

Position: GD/WD/GK

Club: Adelaide Thunderbirds

Latanya Wilson is one of the most dangerous defenders in the Australian league in both goal defence and wing defence. At just 20 years of age, she finished second in the league for deflections with 70 and third for intercepts with 31. The Sunshine Girl has been a part of the team since 2017 and boasts 12 caps. Off the court, Wilson is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts. With her athletic flair and aerial ability, Wilson will certainly be one to look out for at the World Cup.

Shamera Sterling

Age: 27

Position: GK/GD

Club: Adelaide Thunderbirds

Sterling has become a household name in the global netball community and is considered one of the most exciting talents in world netball. The St James native and University of the West Indies student was part of the Jamaican squad that won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. After a short stint at Loughborough, she joined the Thunderbirds in 2019 in the Australian Super Netball league where she ended her debut Suncorp Super Netball season at the top of the 2019 leaderboard. Among her accolades are the Subway Club Champion, Players’ Player Award, the Members’ Player Award and dual Club Champion. Off the court, the elite defender studies Primary Education.

Jodi-Ann Ward

Age: 28

Position: GD/WD

Club: Collingwood Magpies

At just 22 years old, Ward made her international debut representing Jamaica in 2017 against Barbados. The St Ann native was selected to be a part of the Jamaican netball team for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games wherethe Sunshine Girls placed third. As of October 2019, she has attained 25 test caps. Ward played in England for one year with the English Vitality Netball Super League before being signed by the Collingwood Magpies for the 2020 Australian season.