“One of the stories for me from the coaches is the hunger because they do it for the love,” said Proteas wicket-keeper batter, Sinalo Jafta, at the KFC Mini Cricket National Seminar in Limpopo. 

Jafta’s coaches were instrumental in shaping her career at a wicket-keeper-batter because they saw potential in her at a time when Jafta was not interested in pursuing a career in cricket. “I mentioned my first cricket coach. She’s the one that gave me the gloves.” Jafta added, “Coaches know when someone is meant to be a keeper. Coaches pick up patterns.” 

Jafta’s journey had her fair share of struggles. “When she gave it (the gloves) to me, I sucked. I was bad.” In time, however, Jafta’s skill improved. “By the time I was in matric, I was the number one ranked wicket-keeper in schools.” 

As Jafta worked towards refining her skill as wicket-keeper and batter, she learned to master her preparation because she needed to balance the time she dedicated to wicket-keeping and batting. “If you’ve got 45 minutes to an hour, you have to do 30-30. Both are your roles.” 

Importantly, Jafta highlighted the importance of mental health and being unafraid to seek out help. As a professional cricket, it is crucial for players to be in good physical, mental, and emotional health. Jafta indicated that she sought help after leading the team against Bangladesh, losing matches, and getting injured after that. Jafta knew she needed help and sought it to get back to the right frame of mind.