Maketa still hopes to coach at the highest level of cricket

Malibongwe Maketa, who previously served as the national cricket team’s interim coach, still aspires to another chance to lead at the top level.

Maketa, 42, made this statement following Cricket South Africa’s decision a few weeks earlier to appoint new coaches.

When Mark Boucher resigned as head coach of the South African cricket team last year, this native of Gqeberha was offered the job. He was unfortunate since the Proteas’ trip to Australia at the end of 2022 did not go well. Maketa was born and raised in King William’s Town and went to Dale College before joining the Border, just like many other cricket players in the Eastern Cape.

Following his playing career, this Gqeberha native has coached teams such as the Titans under the guidance of Richards Pybus. He was interested in coaching the Proteas as Cricket South Africa looked for a permanent coach, but the loss of the team in Australia did not support his abilities.

However, Maketa still aspires to coach at the greatest level of cricket. Maketa was replaced as the Proteas’ interim coach, and Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter took over as head coaches. He said after completing his stint: “When you win games, it’s always nice and you get loved by people. Yet when things go wrong, things like what happened to me happen.

“I am not saying that I would have been hired as a coach if the national team had performed well in Australia. It was unfortunate for me that the team lost because there was nothing, I could have done to make myself look better as a contender to coach the national cricket team.

“The opportunities were there, but we were unable to seize them. What happened is what occurs in sports in general,” Maketa said, adding that he will consider his options after his disappointment. Yet, he was very clear that he would work hard to better himself so that he could coach at the greatest level.