Malesa’s age when she started playing cricket
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“You’ve got to work for what you want to achieve. There are never any shortcuts to success.”
The hard work she has put in has paid off, however, and after representing the Northerns provincial team as a player (where she competed alongside some of the country’s best cricketers) Malesa is now the coach of the Assupol Tuks women’s team.
While she admits she has some regrets – after retiring as a player with a high score of 49 runs, just one short of a half-century – Malesa believes her experience on the field has been key to her success as a coach.
“There were quite a few good players (at Northerns), so I batted quite low down the order,” she says.
“The challenge was to make the most of every opportunity.”
In a sport which is dominated by men, and which has recently been in the spotlight for allegedly stunting the progress of black players and coaches, Malesa hopes to make a real difference.
“One of the disadvantages I, and probably most other black players, have faced is that our parents are not able to come and watch when we play,” she says.
“I feel that with support from home I might have achieved more as a cricketer.
“Unfortunately it didn’t happen, but now I have the advantage of knowing what black players go through.
“That is why I consider supporting and encouraging young players as being vital. No one should have to give up on their dreams.”
For all the effort she has put in, Maleat sa says it has done nothing to affect her desire to succeed at the top of the game.
One of the aspects she enjoys most about cricket is the unpredictable nature of the sport.
“You can have the perfect game plan, and still there are never any guarantees,” she says.
“The outcome of any game can change
any moment.”
Aside from a few other hobbies, including reading and hiking, Malesa is satisfied spending most of her time on a cricket field, or in the nets, guiding some of the country’s potential future stars.
“When I coach, it is not like I am working. It is more of a calling,” she says.
“That sense of achievement you get when a player masters a new technique is something money can’t buy.
“Coaching is never only about winning. I want to make a difference in a player’s life.
“If a player leaves training feeling they have learned something, I consider it to be a job well done.”