Photo Credit: LinkedIn Profile Photo of Malibongwe Maketa
South Africa ‘A’ coach, Malibongwe Maketa, says that he is implementing a “team first” and “smart training” environment in the team following a couple of seasons of disappointing results.
On the eve of the team’s first One-Day match against Zimbabwe ‘A’ in Harare, the coach spelled out his intentions for the team for the tour and the future.
“I like the concept of training for purpose,” he commented. “I always encourage guys to have a goal for each practice and make sure that they are doing what they’ll be doing in games from that point of view. Smart training, not training for the sake of it. It’s about making sure that every practice has its purpose, and their goals are achieved through that, then you know we’ll be in a good space to win games.”
The SA A team space sees the most talented of cricketers coming in and out of the team. Maketa has made it his business to ensure that the needs of the team are prioritized ahead of the ambitions of the individual.
“The SA A space has always been a tough space to manage in the sense that each player comes in with his own personal goals and how he feels that he can get to the top,” Maketa explained. “So, my biggest thing since I’ve been in charge of the space is enforcing that the team comes first. Your personal goals should really be secondary to what the team needs. The moment we can start moving in that direction, in making sure that each and every player comes here willing to play for the team, willing to play game situations for us to win games, that will play a massive part in us winning.
“In the past – if I may be brutally honest – it’s been a selfish space because each player comes in thinking that they are one step away from playing for the Proteas and then we neglect the core values of what is required for the team to win. In that sense, we’ve always come short because players have personal goals instead of team goals and that’s been my driving force since I’ve been in this space, to make sure that everyone is pulling in the same direction. When the team starts winning is when the selectors will start looking at who’s doing well and in that way I’m sure a lot of players will be rewarded through this process.”
Photo Credit: LinkedIn profile photo of Malibongwe Maketa
Maketa is quietly confident of the team’s chances in Zimbabwe and believes that the team has done the preparation required to return the results that he and his coaching staff are aiming for. He is also pleased with the injection of experience that the presence of Proteas players such as Reeza Hendricks, Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius will bring.
He said: “The team has been together for a week. The guys had been preparing before they joined the camp in their respective franchises. Having a few experienced players has really helped in terms of getting ready for this tour. We had a camp together in Pretoria which went really well and I believe that everyone is in a good space to come here and perform.
“We’re really excited to be here. We haven’t played a lot of cricket as an SA A team. Bubble life is not easy, it’s fresh to us but Zimbabwe (Cricket) have gone out of their way to make sure that we’re comfortable wherever we are – at practice they have made sure that we’ve got what we need, at the hotel, they have gone out of their way to make sure that the guys are comfortable and are in a good space to go out and perform, so we’re grateful for that.
“As far as the team space is concerned, we just can’t wait to get going.
“For this One-Day squad, we have quite an experienced team, we have five guys that will move on from this team to join the Proteas. Then you’ve got guys that are coming into the space for the first time. We’ve got a good range in terms of experience and young bloods who are just coming in and everybody is equally excited because of the lack of cricket that we’ve had.”
South Africa A One-Day Squad
Ryan Rickelton (Central Gauteng Lions), Janneman Malan (Boland), Reeza Hendricks (Central Gauteng Lions), Zubayr Hamza (Western Province), Tony de Zorzi (Western Province), Dwaine Pretorius (North West), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Sisanda Magala (Central Gauteng Lions), Junior Dala (Northerns), Lutho Sipamla (Central Gauteng Lions), Senuran Muthusamy (North West), Daryn Dupavillon (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Glenton Stuurman (Eastern Province), Theunis de Bruyn (Northerns), Wihan Lubbe (Eastern Province), Sinethemba Qeshile (Eastern Province).
South Africa A Four-Day Squad
Dominic Hendricks (Central Gauteng Lions), Eddie Moore (Eastern Province), Zubayr Hamza (Western Province), Raynard van Tonder (Free State), Theunis de Bruyn (Northerns), Senuran Muthusamy (North West), Sinethemba Qeshile (Eastern Province), Miguel Pretorius (Free State), Daryn Dupavillon (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Glenton Stuurman (Eastern Province), Lutho Sipamla (Central Gauteng Lions), Dayyaan Galiem (Northerns), Okuhle Cele (Northerns), Tony de Zorzi (Western Province), Ryan Rickelton (Central Gauteng Lions), Tshepo Ntuli (Central Gauteng Lions).
South Africa A Tour to Zimbabwe Schedule
29 May 2021 1st One-Day Match Harare
31 May 2021 2nd One-Day Match Harare
02 June 2021 3rd One-Day Match Harare
04 June 2021 4th One-Day Match Harare
07-10 June 2021 1st 4-Day Match Harare
13-16 June 2021 2nd 4-Day Match Harare
