Langman back, bye George

Laura Langman could play against Malawi tonight after being declared fit for the world championships.

The dynamic midcourter sustained a foot stress fracture six weeks ago, but has been back on court training this week and looked comfortable in Auckland yesterday.

"It's definitely great to be back in and being a part of the team unit again, all the girls are saying one more sleep and we can't wait to get out there," Langman said yesterday.

Langman is no longer feeling the effects of the injury and said she was able to train without pain.

"It's fine, hopefully it will behave itself.

"I've just been really stoked with the medical team, the plan was absolutely perfect and as long as that keeps on this wavelength we should be really good." The news ended all of the speculation about a possible return by former vice-captain Temepara George, with coach Ruth Aitken confirming the initial squad of 12 will be the team that takes part in the tournament.

"When we choose the team we believed this was a team that would go all the way, it's great to see the work they've done and I'm delighted with the group that I have," Aitken said.

The coach added that Langman's tournament would be balanced in much the same way as the rest of the squad, allowing time both to rest and also to build on-court confidence.

However, she did confirm Langman is available for selection for tonight's romp against Malawi.

"She sure is, she's ready to play right now I think," Aitken said.

"She's in the frame, whether she makes the court will be interesting she will have to push past another couple of players first." One player who will be out on court is goal keep Casey Williams.

Williams tasted the unique style of Malawi at last year's Commonwealth Games where at one stage they made 64 passes from the centre pass before scoring the goal.

There is little doubt about the result of the game but it will be a chance to see how well the Silver Ferns can adapt their style on court.

"Sometimes it's quite frustrating because you're not used to that, you're like `oh my goodness is it going to come into the circle or is it going to go out there'," Williams said.

"We will probably try to be more proactive than reactive, try to force the ball where we want it to go or just have a go actually."

Malawi captain Peace Chawinga has already said her team planned on sticking with its unorthodox style which has seen it beat South Africa recently and finish within 30 goals of the Silver Ferns last year.

"They have to run, if they want to win against Malawi they will have to run and work for it," she said.

"We are going to make sure there are going to be some upsets, we believe in ourselves that we are the best," Chawinga said, with admirable confidence.

But in reality the focus is going to be on the Silver Ferns who really need a big winning margin to help boost their confidence after a year of average results, including their losses to England and Australia.

There is expected to be considerable experimentation on court for the Silver Ferns this week, as they prepare for the business end of the tournament which is likely to include a semifinal against Jamaica on Friday and a final against Australia or England.

"We will be looking at making sure the players get enough time out there to feel confident, and hopefully enough to stay fresh at the end," Aitken said.

"How you manage that is always a challenge of world championships."

THE SQUADS New Zealand: Adine Wilson (c), Maree Bowden, Leana de Bruin, Paula Griffin, Joline Henry, Laura Langman, Sheryl Scanlan, Julie Seymour, Jodi Te Huna, Maria Tutaia, Irene van Dyk, Casey Williams. Malawi: Peace Chawinga (c), Anne Kapatuka, Sylvia Malenga, Ester Kayira, Ruth Kaipa, Linda Magombo, Emma Mdzagada, Beatrice Mpinganjira, Merenia Gedion, Caroline Mtukule, Esther Nkhoma, Mary Waya. Television - Sky Sport 1: 6.30pm, with the opening ceremony followed by the game at 8.10pm. TV One: 7.30pm, with highlights of the opening ceremony followed by the game at 8.10pm.