Sunshine Girls boosted by Kelly return

National senior netball team coach Connie Francis says that the inclusion of Malysha Kelly in the Sunshine Girls’ 15-member squad is a boost for the team ahead of their four-Test series against rivals and hosts England next month.

The series will take place on January 22, 24, 26, and 28 at the Copper Box Arena in London, England.

Kelly, a 30-year-old former captain of the Sunshine Girls team, will be making her first appearance for Jamaica in almost four years after being away with a series of knee injuries.

Francis told The Gleaner that Kelly has worked hard in her recovery process, and she is delighted that the defender has now been passed fit to play in the series.

HAPPY FOR HER RETURN

“I am very happy for her because she has worked so hard,” Francis said. “She has fought a huge hurdle and to come back from two major ACLs (anterior cruciate ligament injuries) and can do what she can do, I am very happy that she was able to be mentally and physically ready for a tour like this.

“She has been doing extremely well because she has made the adjustment from Zoom (online meeting app where her training was monitored) to the hard court, and she is being assessed by experts when it comes to the physio and the doctors,” Francis said. “Even the other day, she had to do a fitness test in which she passed it with flying colours, and we commend her for that. So I am very happy that she is in the squad.”

Kelly ruptured her ACL in her left knee during a training session with her New Zealand-based ANZ Championships club, Southern Steel, in March 2018. She had surgery a month later but suffered a setback four months into her recovery, which led to a second corrective procedure.

Kelly, who has more than 40 caps for Jamaica, last represented the Sunshine Girls in 2017 at the Fast5 tournament in New Zealand.

Francis says that the Sunshine Girls have worked well in preparation for the series, so she expects that all the players are motivated and looking forward to giving a good account of themselves.

“We expect the series to be tough because they are the third-ranked team in the world, and we are fourth-ranked,” she said.

“We will be in the cold, and we will be isolated, and there are a number of things that we will have to get accustomed to, so our mental will also be challenged as well as our physical.”

robert.bailey@gleanerjm.com

Full squad

Jhaniele Fowler (captain)

Gezelle Allison

Shanice Beckford

Rebekah Robinson

Nicole Dixon

Shadian Hemmings

Adean Thomas

Jodiann Ward

Khadijah Williams

Kadie-Ann Dehaney

Stacian Facey

Shannika Johnson

Malysha Kelly

Shamera Sterling

Latanya Wilson