Malawi Queens fall to world number one Australia at Commonwealth Game

Malawi’s Queens suffered a heavy 68-32 defeat to world number one Australia in their fourth Group A match at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday, as the reigning champions proved too strong for the Malawian side across four quarters.

Head coach Deborah Fuller made one change to her starting seven, bringing in Melia Soko for Mphatso Banda, but the switch did little to slow an imperious Australian side, who raced into a commanding 38-13 lead by half-time.

The Diamonds’ clinical shooting and relentless defensive pressure left Malawi struggling to find any rhythm in the opening two quarters, with the gap already looking unassailable by the interval.

To their credit, the Queens showed considerably more fight after the break, tightening up defensively and finding a more physical, high-tempo approach that visibly troubled their vastly more experienced opponents.

Malawi narrowly lost the final quarter 13-9, a small but meaningful consolation given the scale of Australia’s overall dominance.

Despite the heavy scoreline, the Queens will take encouragement from their improved second-half showing, converting 32 goals from 38 attempts across the full match — a respectable shooting percentage against a defence renowned as one of the toughest on the international circuit.

The result leaves Malawi with plenty to reflect on ahead of their next Group A fixture, against Tonga, a contest they will view as a far more winnable opportunity to build momentum heading into the knockout stages.

Australia’s victory further cements their status as the team to beat in Glasgow, with the Diamonds continuing to look ominously sharp as they close in on the top of the group standings.

For Fuller and her squad, the challenge now is to quickly regroup and carry forward the defensive intensity and physicality shown in the second half against Australia, qualities that will be crucial if Malawi are to secure the positive result they need against Tonga to keep their tournament ambitions firmly on track.