Easterns cricketer recognised at CSA awards

Easterns Cricket Union cricketer Mpumelelo Mashiloane won the Cricket South Africa U16 girls player of the year at the CSA awards ceremony for the 2021/22 season on August 14.

The 16-year-old was awarded following her stellar performances at the CSA U16 Week in Gqebera last year where she captained the Easterns U16 side. She was the union’s leading run scorer at the week-long tournament.

Mpumi, who also plays for Kwa-Thema Cricket Hub, dedicated the award to all those who played a pivotal role in her development.

“It’s time I put my name out there and I hope this will also inspire other youngsters to believe in their dream because dreams do come true,” she said.

The batting all-rounder stated that this recognition will give her more confidence to work hard to realise her dream of playing for the Momentum Proteas.

“This means my hard work has been rewarded. Now I need to push extra hard. It also means there are lots of great things to come.

Hailing from Kwa-Thema, where the community’s staple is football, as a budding cricketer she found it difficult to thrive as the environment wasn’t conducive for cricket development.

“I would see people running on the field and would ask myself what they were doing until I enquired. That’s when I started to understand what cricket is all about.”

It was at the Kwa-Thema Sports Complex, situated at the heart of the community, where she honed her skills. The space provided her with the perfect opportunity to play the sport she loves and she would spend hours in the nets practising.

She credits KFC Mini Cricket for helping her master the basics of the sport. She also thanked Kwa-Thema Cricket Hub’s Godfrey Nkosi for introducing her to the sport.

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“Mpumi is the first one in the history of the club to receive this accolade. We are proud of this achievement and she’s an inspiration to everyone at the club. She is humble, respectful and disciplined,” said Nkosi.

Faced with challenging conditions at the sports complex, her determination and drive saw Easterns Cricket come calling and the union provided a perfect sanctuary for her to grow as a cricketer.

“Easterns has helped by availing the best facilities for me to train. I also want to thank my provincial coach, Thapelo Ditle, who helps me with transport money to come to training. He also made sure that I got a decent playing kit through Easterns.”

Ditle has watched Mpumi’s growth in the sport with keen interest. He said if she continues playing the way she does, she could make her Momentum Proteas debut at the age of 18.

“She’s got potential. She’s someone you can’t force to come to training. Despite being faced with challenges, she still pushes because she sees the bigger picture.

“She was part of the U19 women’s training squad for the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup next year.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t make the final 18. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it motivated us that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Playing the way she does, she will make it. All she needs is someone to believe in her,” said Ditle.

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