It’s around mid-afternoon on a Friday and 22-year-old Sinelethu Yaso finds herself in her zone of joy. Her clean cricket uniform stand out against the man-made green field, while upbeat beats of kwaito music drift on the air as she moves in to bowl.
Beyond the field, in the township area of Khayelitsha, laundry hangs on a wire and the early spring sun shines off a tin shelter.
This statuesque young woman received instructions to go easy on her competitors – an under-13 boys’ team – but Yaso’s perfect accuracy are enough to cause three straight failed attempts.
With her next pitch, the player at last makes contact. All he can do is to pop it up to Yaso, who nonchalantly takes the ball.
Observing the match from his plastic chair on the boundary is a ex- professional player and trainer. “You can find some amazing skill in the neighborhoods,” he says. “What’s lacking is resources.”
Participants on the ground are all part of a charitable initiative established in 2014. Establishing a charitable foundation after stepping away from the professional cricket is not unusual – but the strategy certainly is.
Instead of trying to recruit skilled players in the areas and then give them support to wealthy schools or colleges in developed areas, the initiative is all about establishing high-quality facilities into the communities.
Yaso was initially exposed to cricket in 2015. “My dance teacher was also a cricket instructor,” she says. “On one occasion I walked past the training facility, and he invited me if I wanted to pitch.”
Yaso – who has often been a more prominent than her peers – proved to be a natural. Through the coaching of a committed women’s programme leader, Yaso has advanced quickly through the levels, performing for a number of junior teams before being chosen to represent the adult side in 2021.
“Initially I felt expectations,” she admits. “But after time I got confident. I learned how the field behaves … it fits my style actually.”
Yaso frequents the facility almost every day, regardless if she has a practice session: “I don’t want to think about my life without cricket.”
“It wasn’t a early aspiration,” she adds, “today with the community around me, it is greater than cricket – it’s like I’ve made a support system.”
I was lucky in that the sport gave me so much. This is my opportunity to return the favor
It began in 2014, when the former player teamed up with a educator to visit eight schools in Khayelitsha.
“After wrapping up a training role, which gave me some free time,” says the organizer. “I thought there was an opportunity to understand how this sport was working in the townships near my home.”
He became surprised to learn that very few of the schools he assessed supported cricket – or other activities for that matter. After speaking to the schools’ administrators and employing his cricketing contacts to obtain support, he got cricket facilities established at five schools in the area and three coaches recruited.
Over the years, the resources have been upgraded – with an modern pitch installed in 2020 and a multi-lane cricket centre a year later – and the outreach developed to include tutors who help the participants with their studies and frequent workshops on topics such as mental health, health education, and financial literacy. Today, multiple coaches and over 400 players ranging from six to 19 make use of the facility multiple days a week all year the year.
According to the girls’ coach: “Most of those kids may not make a living from cricket, but they are all profiting from cricket. This facility is like a vision … it is a home for the participants.”
A key advantages that cricket gave was the chance to travel internationally and explore different nations. While elite schools in South Africa frequently take cricket teams on journeys abroad, community cricketers are fortunate if they ever travel beyond their own community.
Previously, during a global tournament, the organizer took a boys’ team to the UK. “That became one of the proudest moments of my time in cricket,” comments the founder.
In the coming year, to coincide with the global tournament, the coach will be taking a female side to the home of cricket. “I long to go to England, to the historic venue,” admits Yaso, who is hoping to be chosen. “It’s a dream I have been hoping for … it represents so much.”
The mentor is just as excited. “It promises to be a valuable cultural exchange,” she emphasizes. “Everyone is excited – it’s going to be the best experience for the players.”
She expresses moved. “Being a mentor, it’s special to have someone like him to look up to,” she shares. “Understanding how the venue were created in this community signifies the so much to us. It demonstrates that we appreciate a black child and the environment they are part of.”
