Rising star Raisibe wants a slice of the World Cup action
ON her debut for South Africa in May this year, Raisibe Ntozakhe became Jhulan Goswami’s 181st victim, making the Indian pace bowler the highest wicket-taker in women’s one-day internationals.
There is, however, more to the jovial Ntozakhe, who has so far played five games, than that. The way she endured the challenges of growing up in Alexandra to become the first international cricketer – male or female – from there is a story that Dane van Niekerk, South Africa’s captain, calls inspiring and an example of chasing dreams.
The fourth of five siblings, Ntozakhe, now 20, lost her father when she was four years old. Her mother and grandmother ensured the kids “never went to bed hungry and were dressing up, eating, going to school and celebrating festivals”.
Family support protected Ntozakhe from the bad things in her surroundings. Sport also played a big part. She was a striker in football, but shifted to cricket at the age of six on seeing the boys playing at school. When she represented Gauteng in age-group cricket at the age of 10, her teammates nicknamed her ‘Slice’ because “I was a bit tinier than I am right now.”
Said Van Niekerk: “I don’t think she has grown in the last 10 years or something”.
Ntozakhe has, however, grown in stature not only as a cricketer but also as a coach responsible for grooming young girls in her province for the last two years. Awaiting results of her sports administration and coaching course from Gauteng Cricket Board, she wants to do a Level 2 certificate in coaching.
“Growing up in a township, you go through a lot of things. You see drug addicts, thieves, guys hitting girls, abusive relationships, and neighbours screaming at night. There is a lot going on,” Ntozakhe revealed to www. icc-cricket.com.
“That type of background … built me into actually being aware of my surrounding, protecting myself at some point and picking who to trust and who not to trust.”
Despite her mother and grandmother being around her, Ntozakhe fell into bad company and was suspended by the GCB for three months when she was 17 for breaching the code of conduct. That was the turning point of her life, she admits.
“In those three months, I got to regroup and decide what I need out of life,” she adds. “I was lucky that I got back to playing. The scenario – which I am not allowed to reveal – gave me a chance to reflect on life.”
But the pain of not having her father around is still tangible, although cricket gave her people she could trust. She points to Sipokazi Sokanyile, South Africa’s media manager, as one of the people who made her comfortable in the dressing room and brought her out of her shell.
“The World Cup is a big learning curve for me. I am learning each and every day as I am watching the game,” reflected Ntozakhe, who considers Muttiah Muralitharan as her idol.
“Wearing the cap, that’s a huge honour. I wanted to play for South Africa and have a jersey number. It’s always been a dream and now I have it. I now have to work harder to stay here for the next 10 years. You will see more of me, this is not the last time you are (talking to me).”
South Africa play Sri Lanka in Taunton today.