Netball World Cup 2023: Five players to watch out for at tournament in Cape Town

Eleanor Cardwell helped Manchester Thunder win the 2022 Super League before signing for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia

The 2023 Netball World Cup starts on Friday, with the best teams in the world preparing to face off in Cape Town, South Africa.

Who will shine on the world stage? Which youngsters are ready to break out on to the global scene? Whose experience could make the difference?

BBC Sport has picked five of the biggest stars who could have an impact on their team's pursuit of glory.

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Liz Watson (Australia)

Following a period of uncertainty with limited match play during the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia found themselves in the unusual position of holding neither the Commonwealth Games or the World Cup titles at the start of 2022.

Having set that straight in Birmingham last August, Diamonds captain Liz Watson will look to guide her side to reclaiming World Cup glory and another major title.

In a team of such dominance, it is difficult to single out just one player but Watson is widely regarded as one of the best mid-courters in the world and her leadership will also act as the glue for the rest of the team to stick to.

Doubts around Australia's shooting circle in the absence of the pregnant Gretel Bueta means Watson's role at wing attack of feeding the shooters will be more important than ever.

But speed in attack has always been their strength and in Watson, 29, Australia have a player whose work rate is almost unparalleled.

Grace Nweke (New Zealand)

Nweke was not part of the Silver Ferns team who won the World Cup in 2019 but has since shone in the Commonwealth Games and Quad Series

At the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool, New Zealand's squad nicknamed themselves 'the fossils' on account of many of the players nearing the end of their careers and several then retired after they won the title.

But the Silver Ferns and head coach Noeline Taurua have done a fine job of unearthing young exciting talent to replace them and one of those players is 21-year-old Grace Nweke.

The shooter went into the Commonwealth Games with just four caps but impressed on the world stage and was named player of the tournament at the Quad Series earlier this year.

Domestically, she won the New Zealand league - the ANZ Premiership - with Northern Mystics, scoring a whopping 70 of their 74 goals in the final with a shooting accuracy of 96%.

She was also the leading goalscorer for the season with 825 and this tournament could be an opportunity for her to make the New Zealand shooting circle her own.

Eleanor Cardwell (England)

Cardwell will make her tournament debut in South Africa, having made her first Commonwealth Games appearance last year in Birmingham

Fresh from winning Australia's Super Netball league with Adelaide Thunderbirds, England shooter Eleanor Cardwell could not be coming into her debut World Cup at a better time.

Her leadership and presence on court make it hard to believe this will be the 28-year-old's tournament debut but the connection she has made with goal attack Helen Housby will be more important than ever following the retirement of star shooter Jo Harten.

The former Manchester Thunder player is strong, accurate and has often been the woman for the big occasion, sinking shots under pressure, and her move overseas has boosted her confidence.

Jhaniele Fowler (Jamaica)

Considered one of the greatest shooters to ever play the game, Jamaica captain Jhaniele Fowler will be appearing at her fourth World Cup.

The 6ft 6in (1.98m) target woman, who plays domestically for West Coast Fever in Australia, was crowned the Suncorp Super Netball league's top player five years on the run and scored more goals than any other shooter in the 2023 season with 872.

There has been a lot of anticipation around the Sunshine Girls following their silver medal at last year's Commonwealth Games and many would see World Cup glory as a fitting prize for a team spearheaded by 34-year-old Fowler.

Karla Pretorius (South Africa)

Pretorius was the first South African to play in Australia's Super Netball league in 2017 and helped Sunshine Coast Lightning win back-to-back titles

Four years ago, defender Karla Pretorius was named player of the tournament at the World Cup in Liverpool.

Fast-forward to now and she is preparing to play at her third World Cup after returning from having a baby in June last year.

The 33-year-old had always expressed a desire to start a family then return to playing and, following a successful return in the 2023 season with Sunshine Coast Lightning in Australia, the Proteas vice captain looks sure to play a crucial role at a home World Cup.

Pretorius is known for her athletic interceptions, leadership skills and elusive style of play which allows her to pop up undetected in key moments, with team-mate Lenize Potgieter describing her as "sneaky".

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