I Want To Play County Cricket!

“I want to play County Cricket" says a young cricketer who hails from the small town of Port Alfred.

Siphe Gift Mzaidume suddenly found himself playing in the Minor Counties cricket league in England for Oxfordshire and Holmesdale.

The 23-year-old seam bowler stresses that just like South African born but English capped international cricketers, Jonathan Trott and Craig Kieswetter, he decided it was time to leave South Africa and pursue a professional cricketing career elsewhere. Mzaidume made his decision after coaches and selectors in both Border and Eastern Province cricket unions started doubting his cricketing ability during his development years. Although he urges that one should not walk away from their troubles, he advises young upcoming cricketers in the country to never give up on their dreams of playing cricket professionally.

 

Mzaidume’s passion for the gentleman's sport started on the partially-green cricket field of Port Alfred High School, A small fry in the Eastern Cape sporting high school scene. Whilst in Port Alfred, he obtained Eastern Province (EP) U13, U15 and U17 cricket colours. "Suddenly the EP coaches didn't want to select me for the EP U19 team in my matric year" says Mzaidume. But fortunately for Mzaidume, Border cricket agreed to grant him a chance for the Border U19 cricket trails.

He stunned the coaches present at the trials and saw himself soon playing for the Border U19 and Border Academy side for two years. But this wasn't enough. Since Border Cricket officials had ruled him as an average player, Mzaidume started thinking ahead by planning to further his cricket career.    

Mzaidume knew that he was worth more than just club cricket, where at the time represented the Old Selbornian outfit based in East London.  The young man was hungry to play professional cricket.

Mzaidume managed to get into contact with the Hampshire staff in England hoping somehow he would get in contact with also South African born cricketer, Kevin Pietersen.  After some patience and persistence, Mzaidume finally got into contact with Pietersen. Surprisingly Mzaidume's counterpart in England was none other than now Chevrolet Warriors all-rounder, Ayabulela Gqamane. "Aya [Gqamane] was also in the same shoes as me at the time.

"The Border Cricket Union were not giving us anything promising nor lucrative, so we decided to leave for England that year.  We kept each other in contact of our performances on a weekly basis. Aya got home-sick and ended up going back to South Africa." said Mzaidume while reminiscing about the early days in the cold English weather with his former Border teammate.

Mzaidume explained that he's got a year and a half left until he's legible for county cricket.

He recently toured Port Elizabeth with the Northamptonshire second side to play in pre-season games against the Warriors and a few other local teams. The English clearly see something in Mzaidume the South Africans were not.  His recent performances on the cricket field are the main contributors to all the success thus far. After his first tough season in England, Mzaidume stood strong, obtained 43 wickets in the second season, 45 wickets in the third and 47 wickets in the fourth.  The South African-born, now overseas wonder-kid also made raves in Melbourne, Australia where he recently picked up match figures of 9-47 in 20.4 overs for the East Malvern Tooronga Cricket Club. 

He'll hope to surpass the 50 wicket-barrier when he returns back to England from his winter-break later on this year. Mzaidume gives credit to his father and the rest of his family for his current success. “It was my desire to make dad proud for all the sacrifices he had made for my brothers and I. "My dad would drive me from Port Alfred to East London for cricket every time I had to attend training, and then drive would drive me back in the late evening. Just the one trip to East London from Port Alfred is over 100 km. He really believed in me. That belief he had shown in me was one of the reasons I decide to look for opportunity elsewhere."

-Mandilulame Manjezi
www.jizzyjakes.blogspot.com
@JizzyJakesTheIn