by Abhai Sawkar Another season, another crucial chance to level up. Every year, it’s heartwarming to see confident young newcomers dominate the stage in South Africa’s semi-professional circuit in the hopes of achieving their targets. Some have been able to make the grade relatively early in their careers, and that moment is very humbling. The end of last season has culminated with a number of players getting first-time franchise contracts. For Boland’s top-order batsman Isma-eel Gafieldien, it was more than just a gratifying surprise. He’s been playing for Boland since 2016, and this season was when he capitalized and took full toll of his game time. Now that he’s officially a part of the Cape Cobras for the 2020-21 season, all these years of earnest, dedicated toiling have finally yielded rewards. It’s something that he’s still trying to process, but more importantly, it’s well-deserved. “The feeling was indescribable,” says Gafieldien. “It felt like a years-long dream come true, especially since I’m from Cape Town, Western Cape. It’s always been a goal to eventually be a part of the Cobras. No words can truly describe the feeling.” The 23-year-old has successfully worked his way up the ranks, but this turn of events came at a very important interval in his career. Fortunately, his unwavering passion for sport prevailed. During his earlier seasons, he didn’t exactly have the ideal start, but adopting a more patient approach helped achieve the marked increase in proficiency more recently. He’d go on to pile up 712 runs in just 9 games, with three centuries and an average above 50. “It was basically my do-or-die season, I’d say. Especially with all contracts ending and as a qualified teacher, I was starting to weigh up my options financially. However I’ve always wanted to be a professional cricketer. So my motivation came from that and knowing that I have a wife and baby on the way, that I need to provide at all costs. Therefore I’d worked extremely hard on my game at Boland, as well as at Maties [Stellenbosch University] and getting a good friend of mine to throw balls at me week in and week out. So I worked hard on my game plan in setting up shop, and when I get myself in, to make it all count. I often used to get myself in and get out on regular occasions. So my secret was definitely to get myself in and ensure I make the most of each opportunity, basically having a strong defense and batting for as long as possible.” Gafieldien’s cricketing sojourn began fairly early, and he showcased his talent to great effect at youth level. From school cricket to club cricket to his big break onto the professional scene, the relentless pursuit of success has often fed his strengths. He particularly cherishes his selection for the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola week, a tournament involving Under-19 provincial teams from all over the country and a pathway to further opportunities at the higher levels. During the 2019-20 season, Gafieldien would not only score his first three centuries in the 3-Day Challenge, but he’d also stroke his way to his first ton in List-A cricket, too. “My cricket began at a very young age. I was 8 years old when I first started to play hard-ball cricket at Ottoman Cricket Club in Cape Town. I also used to play a lot during the week for my primary school in Strand. It all started when I made the Western Province U11 first XI, and that gave me the confidence I needed and inspired me to work even harder and dream bigger. For me, the key events would be making the Boland side in the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola week [Coke week] and making the SA Colts side, which is selected after Coke week. Having gotten the opportunity to be a part of a professional student athlete system at Maties is also a highlight, since it helped me holistically to be a better cricketer and better person. The best moment was definitely in the past season, getting over the nervous 90’s and making my maiden first-class century and my maiden 50-over century.” It may have been a tough 3-day tournament overall for Boland, but Gafieldien appreciates the fact that the team has bonded well. After every game, there have been positives to take, and most of all, players have begun to step out of their comfort zones. In fact, the experience overall has been a confidence builder more than anything else. “Last season the toughest opponents would definitely have to be Eastern Province [the eventual joint champions]. We played them twice this season and for me, they have a very well-balanced side in both batting and bowling. They play well and are a strong unit. What I’ve learned this season was to make it count whenever you start well, from an individual standpoint. From a team perspective, it’ll have to be that all players must work in the same direction and have the same goals for the side. We’ve started speaking and sharing more and more amongst each other but only at the second half of the season. And when we started making progress, we played a much better brand of cricket as team players.” The new Cape Cobras contract list has quite a few changes with several young inter-franchise transfers - plus two promising bolters from Boland: Gafieldien and fast bowler Ziyaad Abrahams. Gafieldien is very grateful for his promotion to franchise cricket, and he’s all set to embark on a new journey. It’ll be quite a different experience as part of a top-level domestic side, but his plans are systematic and methodical. The Cobras side has recently undergone a drastic shakeup, and it’ll be up to the newcomers to guide the team through a transitional period, much like the Proteas Test side at this juncture. With several vying for much-coveted game time, Gafieldien emphasizes the fact that opportunities are there to be made full use of. “I’m eagerly looking forward to being involved in a fully professional environment and learning about what it takes to perform and maintain consistency at that level. The main goal would have to be learning quickly about the new scene and picking the brains of the guys that have been there for a number of seasons. When I’m given the opportunity, I want to make sure that I’m 100% ready and able to consistently put in good performances.” The COVID-19 lockdown regulations in the country have made it harder to stay in touch with the game, but fortunately for Gafieldien, that has allowed him to spend quality time with his wife and newborn daughter. As far as fitness is concerned, he likes to mix it up with endurance as well as body weight exercises. Given the conditions, Gafieldien’s resourcefulness has served him very well. “Lockdown has actually been quite good to me. I could use this time to move closer to the almighty, and invest more time spiritually, since I recently became a father. I’ve been able to spend quality time with my wife and daughter, time that I wouldn’t necessarily have had if life was normal with the off-season training and being on the road for most of the day. I’ve got a cycle at home, so I go cycling twice or three times a week. I have a few weights and a bar, so I use that to do a few gym exercises with the odd body weight exercises in between, plus plenty of core work. Since Level 4 I’ve been able to go jogging, usually 5 to 7 kilometers, three times a week. On the whole, lockdown for me personally has a number of positives especially with my little one being born and trying my best to make the most of a difficult situation.” Last, but not least, a strong work ethic and the constant drive to further enhance the skillset has got Gafieldien this far. Every higher step of the ladder comes with its own set of demands: the Cobras have a revamped unit and the first-class setup has numerous cricketers all looking to realize their dream of Test cricket. And not to mention, Gafieldien featured for the CSA Invitational XI in the tour match against England. The talented left-hander has gained plenty of momentum as he’s made quite a telling impact in a shorter space of time - and the new journey will start in a matter of a few months. As chances arrive, preparedness will be gold.
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AuthorsAkseli Pitkänen Archives
September 2020
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