Good luck son, trust the process
Those were four crazy overs that could determine young Kwena Maphaka’s cricket destiny. That spell could make or break him.
The young SA U19 leftarm quick bowler was thrown into the deep end with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
And like the other bowlers in the match, even seasoned pros, he was belted on a good batting surface.
But he is surrounded by the great Sachin Tendulkar, Lasith Malinga and Mark Boucher, all hardened experienced support staff at the Indians, he is in good company.
Who at 17 and still a schoolboy, can say that he plays in the same IPL side as the current Indian captain Rohit Sharma and sees and talks to Tendulkar and that he also plays with one of the premier fast bowlers in world cricket Jasprit Bumrah?
Not many …
And I was very impressed with captain Hardik Pandya’s post-match speech.
He backed Maphaka and said he saw enough to suggest the boy has what it takes, to survive in the crazy pro cricket world of T20.
It was just a crazy freakish game of 500-plus runs.
There were new frontiers reached and mind-blowing records set.
And he was a part of it. What I admired about captain Pandya was he bowled him for his full four overs.
Hardik, like any good captain, will probably have had a quiet word, away from everybody the next day, telling him that this is the uncompromising world of the pro leagues. And that it takes courage and strength of character to come back and do it all again. Trusting your skills. He’ll be OK.
It’s a game he will never forget, nor will we as spectators. A freak score, a standout game in the history of the IPL.
Good luck son. Trust the process. Trust your skills.