New pitch Mahatlane on a road less travelled
Lawrence Mahatlane did not win any trophies as the coach of SA’s under-19 cricket team, but he has now set his sights on reaching the qualifying rounds of the 2023 World Cup in his new role as coach of Uganda
● Lawrence Mahatlane, who is Uganda’s new head coach, hopes his team’s performances will inspire young cricketers in that country.
The former SA under-19 coach was appointed on Friday as Uganda’s new coach. He is aware about 50% of Ugandans are under 14. And they need heroes.
“They’ve got a few expats that have added to the set-up. I’d also like to see local heroes come through with performances to inspire some of the young kids,” said Mahatlane.
In taking the job, he became only the second black African from this country to be handed the head coaching reins at a national level. Makhaya Ntini was Zimbabwe’s coach between 2016 and 2018.
Mahatlane knows that to attract Uganda’s youth to cricket, the national team will need to fight its way up the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ranking list. The team currently tops Group B in the ICC’s Challenge League, which forms part of the 2023 cricket World Cup qualification process.
“It is about how we continue that momentum [in the Challenge League],” said
Mahatlane. “The second part of qualifying was supposed to be hosted in Uganda in July but obviously that has been postponed.
“There are still 10 games left. Hopefully we qualify for World League One and start playing ODIs [one-day internationals] against the likes of the Netherlands. It is important for Uganda to be aiming for that.”
Among Mahatlane’s responsibilities in his three-year deal are to put in place a highperformance structure that will include the women’s team and the under-19s.
“The main focus, though, will be the national team,” he said.
Basil D’Oliveira played there
He has a clear idea of what to expect. “I have followed [Uganda] for a while. The first time I came across Ugandan cricket was in the 1990s. Their athleticism stood out. They are arguably one of the best fielding sides I’ve seen.
“There are some challenges with consistency and performance of some individuals but now it is about getting those things right.”
Cricket is played mainly on just three fields, but Mahatlane says Uganda has a rich and interesting cricket history.
We put in a lot of effort to identify the best talent
Lawrence Mahatlane Former SA u19 and new Ugandan cricket coach
“One of their first matches was against Basil D’Oliveira’s squad that toured East Africa in the 1950s.”
Uganda was part of the East African team that went to the 1975 World Cup.
“In 1998 they became an ICC member on their own. Before that they were part of the East Africa bloc alongside Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. Hopefully we can tap into some of that and inspire future generations.”
Coaching in foreign parts is a road less travelled for black African coaches but Mahatlane believes more than 20 years in SA steeled him for the task.
As SA U-19 coach he didn’t get to interact with players daily; now he can.
“One of the things I miss is coaching every day and focusing on a group of players for a period of time. That is what excited me.
“From a growth point of view it has been an exciting six years as SA under-19 coach and I enjoyed my time.
“Hopefully some of these youngsters will stand up and represent our country with pride.”
The SA under-19 team failed to win a major trophy while he was coach. He says it’s a box he would have liked to tick.
“I would have liked better results. We put in a lot of effort and went out of our way to identify some of the best talent.
In a good space
“The main brief was to develop talent and make sure that the feeder system into senior provincial and franchise cricket is vibrant.
“If you look across the board at the number of players that have represented SA and are playing good senior provincial cricket, I think we are in a good space in the country,” he said.
Though he didn’t say so, he might feel mightily relieved that he has moved on from an organisation, Cricket SA that has painted itself well and truly into a corner.