Coach slammed for picking aging squad
Men’s softball coach, Pako Maforaga has been criticised for picking an ‘aging’ squad for the Fastpitch World Cup qualifiers scheduled for South Africa in August.
Finals will take place next year February in New Zealand.
The qualifiers were supposed to be held in South Africa from February 19 to 28, but were postponed due to COVID-19.
The new dates are August 25 to 29 at the Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park.
However, the build-up to the qualifiers has been marred by criticism from some quarters, who feel Maforaga selected an aging squad, leaving out deserving players.
But Maforaga defended his selection, arguing he picked the best performing players in the local league.
“And if they fail, we should come back and ask ourselves what we need to do locally to improve. I should not now say let me take second best and hope they do better. People must understand that the national team is a reflection of our local standard of play,” he said.
Maforaga added if the standard is poor, then the national team would struggle. He said focus should also be on up-skilling local coaches. The coach said he does not think he has an aging squad.
“If you look at the last world championships, you would find that statement is not true. That statement is peddled falsely. One needs to consider the sport science to make such statement,” he argued. Maforaga said without the league, the selection relied on pastrecords. He said the camp has been pushed forward and that would give them an opportunity to plan properly.
His critics had argued the team needs an injection of fresh blood.
Rivals 9 Softball Club vice chairperson, Labani Letlhomo said Maforaga used players who competed at the last world championships.
“I do not think he could use the same squad next year because the squad is old. It needs revamping. There are young players who need a chance to play in the national team, not necessarily that they are young but they are performing exceptionally well at their clubs,” he said.
Letlhomo said the squad has been tested but the coach could have added one or two new players to increase offensive power, which is the only problem that the team has.
He said the team does not seem to score, but they defend well.
“There are players who can add versatility to the team and give the coach ability to play different games styles. Our national team selection needs overhaul, it needs the coherence between club
managers, coaches, the association and players. Softball is one of the best sporting codes in the country and we cannot have one coach being the sole selector of players,” Letlhomo argued.
He said selection should include scouts and national team selectioncommittee comprising scorers, umpires and coaches.
However, Letlhomo said the postponement of the qualifiers would give the coach time to hold camps and call other players for selection. “There is so much more to do until elimination games come.
The coach should not just conduct selections, they need to be done properly, pitchers and catchers must be selected differently so is the infield and outfield.
Pitcher and catcher, that is a combination, you cannot call one without the other,” Letlhomo said.
But Thuto Nata of Raptures Club felt that the squad was fairly balanced since they have been off the field for almost a year.
He said this meant that there was no time for most players to impress the technical stuff.
“My concern is that we do not have a left-handed hitter in the team,someone like Godson Motsumi.
The entire squad is right-handed. Ifthere are additional players, it has to be Motsumi and Rebaone Pilane. It is surprising that Romeo Tshelametsi made the team. He should make way for young players,” Nata said.
He said another player who deserves call up is Gofaone Terror Monkemedi of BDF IX due to his consistency.