Wa Ganyu

England overwhelmed Malawi 73-38 in their third Commonwealth Games match on Monday afternoon, handing Malawi their heaviest defeat to England to date. The 35-goal margin was wider than the 25-goal loss Malawi suffered against England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Malawi struggled from the start. In the opening minutes, they conceded several turnovers, which England exploited to build an early lead. Although Malawi occasionally won turnovers, they found it hard to transition into attack. Shooter Mwai Kumwenda repeatedly dropped deep to find the ball but struggled to feed it into the shooting circle.

Attacker Ethel Ng’ambi was often out of position receiving passes from wing attacker Takondwa Lwazi and centre Mphatso Banda, making it difficult for Malawi’s attackers to move the ball into the final third. As a result, possession frequently reverted to the defenders, who in turn lost control.

Francesca Williams and Imo Allison of England capitalised with interceptions at the back and in midcourt. Malawi’s defensive partnership of Shabel Bengo and Sophie Banda also came under heavy pressure; while they made some interceptions, finding teammates in midcourt was problematic. The pressure led to contact and obstruction calls, and Malawi conceded a total of 60 penalties.

At half-time, Malawi had just two interceptions to England’s five and managed to convert only one. England continued to dominate after the break, prompting coach Dubbey Fuller to make substitutions. Tendai Masamba replaced Kumwenda, Martha Dambo was taken off and Florence Jeke came on for Ng’ambi to provide long-range shooting. The changes did not alter the flow of the game — Masamba missed her first shot, and Malawi could not regain control.

In the final quarter, every bench player saw action, but nothing changed the outcome. Malawi finished with only two interceptions compared with England’s 10 and a shooting accuracy of 84 per cent to England’s 94.

Score by quarter:
First: Malawi 9-18 England
Second: Malawi 23-37 England
Third: Malawi 33-55 England
Fourth: Malawi 38-73 England

Despite the heavy loss captain Takondwa Lwazi remained determined. “We have accepted the defeat. We are looking to correct our mistakes ahead of Australia. We have gained positives; the team is improving day by day.”

Malawi face defending champions Australia tomorrow evening.