Shanice Beckford, a senior member of Jamaica’s netball team, says the Sunshine Girls will be taking their three-Test home series against South Africa very seriously as they aim for a clean sweep of the matches.

The matches in the highly anticipated series are set for January 18, 22, and 25 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew.

The Sunshine Girls will enter the series brimming with confidence, having defeated rivals England Roses 2-1 in their home-and-away four-Test series in November. The other game in the series ended in a tie.

The Jamaicans’ victory over the Roses has propelled them from fourth to third in the world rankings.

Beckford, a goal attack, emphasised that the series is a critical part of the team’s preparations for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

“The South Africa series is very important for us in terms of getting some match play under our belts and knowing that we just came off a series victory over England in November,” she said.

“It is also important for leading up to the World Championships and Commonwealth Games in 2026 and 2027 and also to give our young players some much-needed exposure as well.

“We are taking this series very seriously because it is a ranking series, and you know that we just moved up to third in the rankings.”

She noted that the South Africans are tough to play against and that the Sunshine Girls are preparing for a challenging series.

“We know that the South Africans will be coming very strong, and so I know that the series is going to be tough for us, but I can assure you that we are ready for the battle,” said Beckford, who plays for the West Coast Fever in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball League.

“We haven’t played against them in a very long time and so we are looking forward to this three-Test series and I know that it is going to be very exciting.

“The girls have been training and in the gym putting in the hard work over Christmas, getting the combinations right, and so we are all very excited and can’t wait to step out onto the court for this series,” Beckford pointed out.

She is urging fans to come out in large numbers to support the Sunshine Girls during the series.

“Please come out and support the Sunshine Girls, because I love the vibes that we received for the series against England in November here at home. The crowd was amazing, and we are looking forward to another big crowd again, so I just want everyone to come out and support the Sunshine Girls in this series.”

— Robert Bailey