The signs were there earlier than some realised. Hidden behind an average winning margin of 47.2 in their first five preliminary matches was a Diamonds outfit lacking its usual lustre. It was in their slow starts to many of those games, an inability to hit the ground running from the first whistle. It was in the 22 turnovers against the world No 10 Scotland and the first half draw with world No 6 Malawi. These tiny imperfections added up to create trouble at the team’s first real hurdle of the tournament. Their one-goal loss to England – the first time Australia has lost to England in Netball World Cup history – sent them down a more difficult road to regain the trophy they so desperately desire.
The World Cup format has long been contentious. With a large gap – albeit slowly shrinking – between the top nations and the rest, the early stages often involve one-sided games. Efforts have been made at various times to combat this and hold more games between the top nations, but to do so takes away from the egalitarian spirit of the tournament. With Australia and New Zealand unlikely to invite Zimbabwe or Barbados over to play a series, this is the only opportunity many players get to test themselves against higher-ranked – and better-resourced – opponents.
