Bongi Msomi won't take Proteas Netball World Cup selection for granted

With the tournament scheduled to kick off in Cape Town in 91 days, Msomi is expected to lead South Africa in her fourth World Cup, which will also be her second as captain after she led the side in Liverpool in 2019.

However, the star centre does not take her selection for granted as she believes she has to earn her place like any other player.

"Until they announce the team, if I'm there, because we still need to have the pride of this national team that needs to be picked, and it's not based on your position but on your performance," said Msomi.

"So, if I get announced this year, I'll probably scream the loudest because I know what it means for myself, but also to my family as well as the country at large.

"I've [played in] so many World Cups and it doesn't really feel like I've done it, it feels like this is the first one and it's quite exciting, I'm just looking forward to it."

After finishing fourth in Liverpool, Netball South Africa expects veteran coach Norma Plummer to go one better in front of the home support, but Msomi sees no reason why they cannot go all the way to the tournament's final whistle on August 6.

"Third place [is the target] but we want to win the trophy, we want to take gold. But why not podium? We can put it like that," she said.

"We're ranked fifth [in the world], but third place should still be as great. But we want the gold. I think the work we're putting in is for gold."