Proteas skipper Bongiwe Msomi prepares for record fourth World Cup

The 35-year-old centre is the highest-capped Proteas player with 158 international caps and is expected to lead her side at the highly anticipated tournament in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August.

Msomi previously represented the Proteas at the world championships in Singapore in 2011, Australia in 2015, and England in 2019, with the 2023 edition on home soil set to be the highlight of her glittering career.

"The year 2023 is a special year for me. We have a World Cup in South Africa and I will lead the team in front of the nation. It has been a fantastic journey for me with the Proteas colours, starting with my first World Cup in Singapore," said Msomi.

"You have to figure out what you want in life, I always knew what I wanted to achieve with the Proteas, and I got here through hard work. This is a special one for me at home with my family coming to Cape Town to watch the girls play for our country."

Her biggest World Cup achievement with the Proteas so far was a fourth-place finish in Liverpool in 2019, but her dream is to lead her country to finish on the podium in Africa’s first World Cup in 60 years.

“We want to finish on the podium. Finishing fourth in Liverpool was incredible, but imagine what it would do for us and the country if we made the podium [in Cape Town]," she added. 

"We are working hard and want to make our country proud. We are excited about the tournament and sometimes get goosebumps just thinking about it."

Having started her national team journey in 2011, before she was announced captain in 2016, the Hammersdale-born athlete went on to play overseas for Surrey Storm in the UK Netball Super League and for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Australian Super League in 2018.

Last year, Msomi won the Telkom Netball League with the Gauteng Golden Fireballs, but nothing will beat the feeling of captaining her country in Cape Town, where South Africa is in Group C alongside Jamaica, Wales, and Sri Lanka at the 16-team tournament.

“The World Cup is big, and I am itching to see that first centre pass,” concluded Msomi.