The women's sport enjoys equal status with football in Malawi and the national side has risen to an impressive sixth in the world rankings.

There are now hopes of winning a medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, after the Africans were unlucky to miss out on the semi-finals at Gold Coast 2018.

The team known as the Queens shocked now world champions New Zealand with a 57-53 victory and were only eliminated from last-four contention on goal difference.

Mwai Kumwenda, who plays in Australia, is the star player but there are others who ply their trade overseas.

"Companies and the Government have invested in netball a lot," said Chef de Mission Henry Sakala to insidethegames.

"This gives the chance of competing at local level. 

"Netball is equally funded like what they do with football, although in football we don't go as far as the World Cup, we are eliminated in the preliminaries!

"But for netball, the Government supports the sport heavily and the companies come in to sponsor the sport.

"We can proudly say that we have netball as a sport which is doing fine in the country."  

For the full interview with Sakala, click here.