Bowling with professionalism, Umhlali cricket coach has his eyes set on the big game
The talented young man has been playing cricket since the age of 6, starting in the backyard of his home in KwaDukuza.
Despite the lack of sport infrastructure in KwaDukuza, Ilembe Cricket Club opening bowler Ridwaan Mlongo is determined to be a top professional cricketer.
He said having a brother who is a professional cricketer and now his coach, Saidi Mlongo, was a strong influence for him.
“Growing up, I watched lots of cricket and with my brother playing for a professional team (The Dolphins) I was encouraged to keep going,” said Ridwaan.
Ridwaan (20) now enjoys coaching younger boys at his brother’s academy in Umhlali.
“Coaching helps me to look at the game at a different angle and seeing those 7 to 14-year-old kids, so passionate about the game, makes my heart melt,” he said.
The talented young man has been playing cricket since the age of 6, starting in the backyard of his home in KwaDukuza.
The Ilembe cricket club allowed him to play with his peers, and he was selected for the under 11 KZN team.
He continued with excellent performance and it came as no surprise when he was selected to play for the under 17 KZN rural country districts team.
“At that time I was doing matric at Zakariya Muslim School, so it became a bit of a challenge to balance the sport and academics. However, with the right people around me, I was able to pull through.”
He continued to outshine his peers and in 2018, he played in his first KZN men’s country districts match.
“I was a bit nervous, probably because I was one of the youngest players on the field and it was my first game against senior players.”
He was invited to play in the national country districts cricket week in North West last year, scoring a hat-trick during one of the matches.
“It was an amazing experience and as a young cricketer, I learnt a lot and hopefully the experience I gained there will help me in future.”
He said there are lots of talented cricket players in the region but due a to lack infrastructure and support, most of them give up on the sport.
“If you surround yourself with people who share similar goals, it becomes easier to reach them.”
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