Christopher Isreal Hlengani keeps his players motivated

POLOKWANE – Growing up, he was introduced to cricket by his two older brothers who played for Tembisa Cricket Club.

“We would play in the backyard and in the streets. I developed a passion for the game at a very young age because that’s all I did every afternoon and during weekends from the age of eight until it became a profession,” he explained.

Hlengani explained that the challenges he faces in his current position, are those faced as the leader of any ship, but the biggest one has to be managing the careers of 15 young talented cricketers.

He added that knowing that your decisions as a coach determines the career and life path of the players.

“There is added pressure of some being breadwinners in their homes and that can be taken away by the decisions I make to keep the team moving forward,” he told BONUS.

“The biggest highlight is working with players who have the potential to play for the Proteas. The second biggest highlight was participating in the 2019 T20 Provincial tournament in Potchefstroom. We beat Mpumalanga by six wickets, North West by six wickets and Western Province by 10 wickets with a bonus point. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go through to the semi-finals because Border also won three matches and they went through with two bonus point wins,” he said.

Hlengani is also a motivational speaker and has been for six years.

He often speaks at universities and motivates young up-and-coming sportsmen/women in disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them the confidence to compete in an elite sporting environment.

“I love speaking about the Bible, which is the word of Christ. I’m a disciple of Christ and also an Apostle of Christ. Romans 1:16; Galatians2:20; 2 Timothy 4:1-5, there are so many scriptures to quote from the Bible and I could speak about the word the whole day. I am also a massive gym freak and I work out every day,” he concluded.

reporter04@nmgroup.co.za