Kwena Maphaka has had one of the fastest rises in South African cricket. At only 19, he has already gained a lot of international experience and is one of the key figures in the bowling attack of the Proteas.
However, it has been a challenging few months for the teenager, who came after a number of difficult games in Zimbabwe. He immediately seemed to bounce back and took 4-20 in the first T20 against Australia last Sunday. This made him the youngest Proteas player for men to achieve this performance.
When asked how he felt after he reached this, he said:
“I just come in a few bad performances in Zimbabwe, it feels really good to put a good performance for the team and to make history while they do it.”
During the first few overs of Sunday’s game, Australia looked very aggressively and scored as quickly as possible.
When asked what he does in such a situation, Maphaka said:
“I think it’s just about reading the game. Of course, when a team comes out all the weapons, there are still a few more options to take wickets. It’s about being smart and understanding what you have to do if you are confronted with those situations. It depends on the wickets and the batters you play against.”
Although he is only 19, Maphaka plays with so much confidence that he rarely looks nervous or restless on the field.
When he talks about where he gets his confidence, he said:
“I have a lot of conviction in my skills, and I support my skills quite a bit. I think I have always been a very confident man and I have always been a real competitor.
“I never like to lose. I always want to get to the top of the fight. I think it’s something that has been brought to me since I was young.”
Maphaka also spoke about his struggles in the Zimbabwe series and what he thought he was missing.
“I think that belief is a huge part of the performance, and I think I might have been a bit short in faith in Zim, so that’s probably one of the big collection restaurants in that series.”
The ability of Kwena Maphaka to bounce back from setbacks, especially at such a young age, shows how strong he is mentally. In just a few years he has switched from a promising schoolboy talent to a real competition winner for South Africa.
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