Obekhe wabamba kwiqela lesizwe leqakamba, uMalibongwe Maketa, usenalo ithemba lokufumana ithuba lokuqeqesha kwinqanaba eliphezulu kwakhona. UMaketa, 42, ukuthethe oku emva kokuba umbutho olawula iqakamba ekuthiwa yiCricket South Afrika ugqibe kwelokuba uqeshe abaqeqeshi abatsha beProteas kwiiveki ezigqithileyo. Le ndedeba yaseGqeberha yanikwa uxanduva lokuqeqesha iqela lesizwe loMzantsi Afrika leqakamba kunyaka ophelileyo emva kokulahla kukaMark Boucher njengomqeqeshi oyintko. Ngelishwa lakhe, izinto khange ziyihambele kakuhle iProteas kutyelelo ebe lise’Australia ekupheleni konyaka ka-2022. Njengabanye abaninzi abadlale iqakamba eMpuma Koloni, uMaketa ukhulele eQonce waze wafunda eDale College phambi kokudlalela iBoarder.
Emva kokudlala iqakamba, le ndedeba yaseGqeberha iqeqeshe kumaqela afana neTitans phantsi kwesandla sikaRichards Pybus. Njengokuba iCricket South Afrika ibikhangela umqeeshi osisigxina, naye ebenawo umdla wokukhokela iProteas – kodwa ukubethwa kweqela lesizwe e’Australia kuye akwamthethelela. Nangona kunjalo, yena uMaketa usenawo umnqweno wokuqeqesha kwinqaba eliphezulu kwiqakamba. Emva kokuba uMaketa esukile esikhundleni sokuqeqesha iProteas esithathwe nguShukri Conrad noRob Walter, uthethe wenjenje: “Xa uphumelela imidlalo, kuye kube kuhle uthandwe nangabantu. Kodwa xa kukubi, Kwenzeka le nto yenzeke kum.
“Andizami ukuthi ukuba iqela lesizwe beliqhube kakuhle e’Australia bendiza kusinikwa isikhundla sokuqeqesha. Kodwa bekungazukufana nangoku libethiweyo. Ukubethwa kwalo lindibethile ngoba akukho nto endiyikhombayo ebekunoqwalaselwa yona njengomntu obegaqele isikhundla sokuqeqesha iqela lesizwe leqakamba. Amathuba wona ebekhona – kodwa asikwazanga ukuwasebenzisa. Okwenzekileyo yinto eyenzeka kwezemidlalo ngokubanzi,” utshilo uMaketa okwathe uza kujonga indlela eya phambili emva kokuphoxeka kwakhe. Kodwa uyibeke yacaca into ethi uza kuzama ukuziphucula ukuze abe ngumqeqeshi ongcono kwinqanaba eliphezulu.
Lumka Oliphant: ‘Yekani utywala’