Lucky’s on the wicket to success
Lucky Mhlongo, Cricket Coaching Manager for the Limpopo Impala Cricket and former Impala senior team's head coach, has an evident passion for cricket, which is now leading him to coach a junior team.
POLOKWANE – “After a recent match against the Free State in Kroonstad and the upcoming National Rural Week from 22 to 26 February, I plan to call it quits with the senior rural team. I will still be the coaching manager, but I am looking for a new challenge and that is to be an u/9 cricket coach,” he shared. According to Mhlongo the reason for this is to enable him to shift to the grassroots level of the sport. He added there is a lot for one to learn from young aspirant cricketers.
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The 31-year-old who hails from Nkowankowa in Tzaneen, previously coached the Nkowankowa Cricket Club in 2009.
“I have since childhood been involved in cricket, being exposed to the now well-known mini cricket which was first sponsored by Bakers and is known as KFC Mini Cricket today. That is where my interest and passion for cricket all started. I was appointed as the coaches’ manager and head coach of the Impalas on 15 June 2017.
“Not many people knew it was also my birthday, but for me this appointment was certainly one of the best birthday gifts ever,” Mhlongo explained.
Under Mhlongo’s tenure, the Impalas rural team started the 2017/18 rural championship under the auspices of Cricket South Africa (CSA) with a loss.
“We immediately gathered after our first loss to confer on what should be done. The team’s management and I decided to go back to basics, and currently this is paying dividends. We have not lost a match since the first season loss and we are currently second overall on the points log,” he added.
Making mention of the positive vibe in the team, Mhlongo added this vibe in particular contributes to the success of the team. He explained the Impalas stand a good chance of winning the upcoming National Rural Week Tournament in Nelspruit.
“Coaching cricket and being involved with the sport is not work for me, it has instead become a way of life. I don’t need inspiration to wake up every morning to go to work, passion drives me,” he said.
The father of two and husband to Penelope, proudly professes the love that both his son and his daughter have for the sport.
His love for cricket is also intensified by the entire Cricket South Africa coaching framework, in which he shares that they are able to share knowledge with the aim of improving the sport within the association.
“Coaching further for me is to be able to create a platform for a team to be good enough to take on any team.
“Teamwork also plays a vital role as teammates must place their trust in one another, this trust and belief comes from CSA which filters down to all stakeholders and structures of the sport,” he explained. Another aspect of the sport that he admires, is the cultural diversity thereof with close regards to the players and the fans of the sport.
“What I like about cricket is that people, especially among South Africans, are moved forward by this sport as it has people thinking of the sport and not about colour,” Mhlongo added.
Although his earlier dreams of being a Proteas batsman didn’t materialise, he has until a certain extent, realised that this may have been the plan all along.
“It just shows that God has plans for each person, and I am very thankful to have this work as a career which I enjoy so much,” he concluded.
