Understanding Malibongwe Maketa’s journey back to the Proteas, the lessons from his first stint under Ottis Gibson and the maturity that came with his sacking in 2019. | ✍️@imongamagcwabe
Cricket South Africa announced Malibongwe Maketa as interim Proteas coach for South Africa’s tour to Australia in December-January.
South Africa will tour Australia next month for three Test matches. Maketa makes a return to the Proteas environment after serving as assistant coach to Ottis Gibson from 2017-2019.
Read: Malibongwe Maketa announced as Interim Proteas coach
“I’m excited and nervous at the same time. To be entrusted with such a big series, it’s a blessing and an honour for me,” Maketa told Cricket Fanatics Magazine in an exclusive interview.
It had been a long journey for Maketa, from coaching at a grassroots level right to the very top. He showed his potential when working with a young Warriors side, where he transformed the environment into a high-performance environment.
But right after the 2019 World Cup, Ottis Gibson and his staff were sacked. Soon after, Enoch Nkwe was appointed as interim coach and Maketa was made a part of the South Africa A side.
“My mentor always says – ‘you’re not really a coach until you get sacked.’ So, I’ve been through the whole thing. Luckily I had the exposure to international cricket when I was assisting Ottis Gibson and also to be given the opportunity to coach SA A against up-and-coming international players,”
The four years spent at SA A gave Maketa time to further hone his skills and put to the test the learnings he had gotten from working under Ottis.
There was time to reflect on his journey once again and get to appreciate the lessons and opportunities he had received with the Proteas. Last year, the bright talent of Marco Jansen made a rise to the Proteas from Maketa’s SA A project.
“The key for me was being able to look and learn from Ottis’ era and also being a feeder system for Mark Boucher and travelling and watching his ways and the way he’s gone about shaping the team,” said Maketa.
“Since my first sniff and to where I am now, the growth has been immense. If I may say so myself – I feel I have really grown as a person and as a coach. I’ve had to learn that international cricket is just brutal because you’re in the spotlight the whole time and everything is evaluated.
“Whereas when you’re coaching the Warriors, you can have a bad game here and there and still be able to learn your craft without the magnifying glass of international cricket.
“To be honest, it was disappointing not to have gotten the opportunity after Ottis. But looking back and seeing the situation that was, the players that were available, the question remains – ‘would I have been given the same grace as other coaches would have been given with my experience at the time?’
“Most likely not. I would’ve been told – ‘No he’s not ready, because the results were not going. So it was a blessing in disguise,” he added.
Year’s 2019 and 2020 marked the start of the rebuilding phase for the Proteas after many retirements. It was during this time that Maketa would have been in charge if he had gotten the appointment after Ottis. But the two years spent assisting Ottis were enough for Maketa to make the step up he needed in his coaching career.
“In terms of the learning, there’s a huge difference in dealing with international players who know what they are doing. So what we had at the World Cup were players who had been around, players who knew exactly what they needed. So it was more of a supporting role in terms of coaching.
“Where I was coming from (Warriors), I’d have to plan the finer details for the players to perform. When I got to the international scene I was working with Hashim, Faf and AB, they already knew their games. It was a matter of – ‘this is what I need, can you support me with this?’
“So, the biggest learning for me was really putting a magnifying glass to the individual. As much as the team needs you, the individual needs to be catered even more in a sense, because everyone is different and everyone knows what they want.
“It’s a matter of making sure, in terms of preparation and practice, you must make sure everyone gets what they want in order for them to be in a good space to perform. This is something I will always implement going forward with my coaching,” concluded Maketa.
South Africa Tour of Australia
17 – 21 December 2022
Australia vs South Africa 1st Test – The Gabba, Brisbane
26 – 30 December 2022
Australia vs South Africa 2nd Test – MCG, Melbourne
04 – 08 January 2023
Australia vs South Africa 3rd Test – SCG, Sydney
