While the prospect of facing Australia at home might be an unenviable task for some, Maketa says he isn’t daunted by the job he has been asked to perform.
South Africa A and National Academy coach Malibongwe Maketa coach Malibongwe Maketa. Picture: @ProteasMenCSA/Twitter
South Africa has won all three of their previous Test series in Australia, dating back to 2008. And it will fall on Proteas interim head coach Malibongwe Maketa’s shoulders to ensure that the team maintains that record.
While the prospect of facing Australia at home might be an unenviable task for some, Maketa says he isn’t daunted by the job he has been asked to perform.
Maketa is taking the Test team Down Under for a three-match series in his first assignment in charge of the national side since taking over from Mark Boucher.
Having previously served as the Proteas Assistant coach under Otis Gibson between 2017 and 2019, Maketa is no newcomer to the international scene and was a consultant on the recent tour of England.
“Luckily, I’ve been in this environment for a while. I’ve had the exposure, even though I was not the head coach. [The upcoming tour] is different in the sense that it is a younger team, in terms of experience. But in terms of talent, self-belief and hard work in the group – I’m looking forward to enhancing that and making sure we win the series,” Maketa said.
When he speaks of what he expects on his first tour, Maketa exudes a quiet confidence and sounds like a man completely convinced in his ability to get the best out of the team.
“It’s definitely going to be tough, there’s no point of playing the series down. [Australia] is always a tough place to go to win a series and that tells you how special the groups that we’ve taken Down Under before to achieve that were. And it’s going to be no different for this group.” Maketa added
The Test series loss to England in August and the disastrous T20 World Cup campaign may have eroded public confidence in the Proteas, but there will be intense scrutiny on Maketa’s work along with the expectation to turn things around quickly and he is aware of that,
“There’s always pressure. International cricket is all about winning and it’s my job to find solutions on how we go about winning the series. I’m just happy with the fact that I’ve earned pressure to be here [as head coach]” Maketa said.
The Proteas will depart on 1 December for the Test match series starting on 17 December.
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