by Abhai Sawkar The urge to succeed is always strong. At times, this urge may involve making difficult decisions to seek further opportunities, such as relocating from home. It may not be an easy road to follow, but patience and perseverance are key qualities to have. After gradually finding traction again, it’s time to commit to pursuing the dreams. This has been the story for many cricketers from different parts of the world, especially several players who were born in South Africa. Many of those who felt that national selection was a long way away have found frequent opportunities elsewhere. Born in Pretoria, Heinrich Malan began his cricketing career in 2005, as a batting allrounder for the Northerns provincial side, which was a level below the franchise system. Opportunities at this level were relatively scarce, and as a result, the chances to gain consistency were limited. Over the course of the next four seasons, he would have just 10 first-class games and 9 50-over games under his belt, the hopes for a big break would gradually begin to dwindle. It wasn’t before long that Malan decided to call stumps on his playing career. However, that never deterred his strong sense of optimism and constant drive for excellence; his passion for the game remained intact, and he chose to take up coaching. Cricket coaching has been a passion for Malan for a couple of decades, and reverting to it wasn’t necessarily a tough choice to reach. “I’ve been coaching since my last year at school, when I started a cricket academy for primary school kids, this was around 1999. I stopped playing in 2007, and I was coaching at club and school level by then. In 2011, I coached a first-class team for the first time, the Easterns Cricket Union side.” It wasn’t until a couple years later when Malan would get finally get the much-coveted big break: the Central Districts Stags, a first-class team in New Zealand, would appoint him as their new head coach. This was an opportunity to seize, but the relocation wasn’t exactly as smooth a transition as he’d like. “I decided to throw my hat in the ring and applied based on the opportunity to coach a franchise team,” says Malan. “It’s a tough call to make when you leave family and friends behind. When we moved over to New Zealand in August 2013 my daughter was only 6 months old, so it was a daunting task. We stayed in a furnished apartment right on the water so that felt like holidays in our first year, even though we really missed our family.” Initially, the homesick feeling had set in, but it was time to get to work right from the get-go. The 2013-14 season was a difficult one to endure for the Stags, but it was just the beginning for Malan’s 6-year long tenure as their head coach, which would bring about plenty of accolades. “It was a very exciting challenge and one that I look back on with fond memories! The Stags were in a transition phase [early on] and to get the opportunity to work with young, talented players and try and make them better is what I am all about. On top of that, to see how these ‘boys’ became men over my time with them, with families and mortgages now, and how they operate on and off the park, gives me a great deal of pleasure.” The team would improve in leaps and bounds with Malan’s guidance, his second and third seasons saw consecutive victories in the Ford Trophy, New Zealand’s domestic 50-over competition, as well as either first international call-ups or international returns for several Stags players, including the likes of Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne, George Worker, and Jesse Ryder, all of whom enjoyed success from time to time across formats. In addition, Will Young, who captained the Stags at the time, gained vital experience after being handed the reins of the side when he was just 22 years old. The rapid development of players signaled a strong upward trend. The two recent domestic seasons were definitely the most climactic, with the recently completed season ensuring that Malan would ceremoniously round off his time as a Central Stag: a second consecutive win in the Plunket Shield (the first-class tournament) as well as the T20 Super Smash. When asked which of the trophies he cherishes the most, Malan had the following to say: “This is a tough question... winning trophies is the result of lots of hard work over an extended period of time. All of these trophies have their own significant meaning to where we were as a squad at that time. The best part of being a successful team is that we had numerous players get the ultimate reward of playing for the Blackcaps.” In addition to his coaching stint for the Stags, Malan also mentored the New Zealand A team for the past two seasons, and his recent assignments included the UAE tour to play Pakistan A, as well as a home series against India A. Taking charge of a higher-level team may not be the easiest of transitions, but Malan’s simple and determined approach made sure he’d leave no stone unturned. “I really loved coaching the NZ A team and getting to work with the next-best cricketers under the Blackcaps in the country,” added Malan. “That group is very open to learning and finding new ways to improve, which hopefully will make the Blackcaps stronger, which is the aim of the A program, as well as all the domestic competitions.” Aside from domestic titles, additional success for Stags includes the international debuts for left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel as well as seamer Blair Tickner. Patel’s masterful five-wicket haul on Test debut last year helped New Zealand script a tremendous comeback and clinch a victory against Pakistan; the Blackcaps would go on and win this away series 2-1. Tickner played his first and only international game to date, earlier this year against India in a T20I series (which New Zealand won 2-1), and impressed with his changes in pace, line, and length. Will Young, the now former Stags captain, entered Test plans for the first time last year, but didn’t get a game; however, he did earn a central contract for the upcoming season. Malan has been hailed as a paragon of great cricketing work ethic by fast-tracking the rise several standout domestic performers, and surely there has to be a formula for achieving plenty in relatively less time. “There’s no secret, to be honest,” quipped Malan. “Engaging the player in connecting him to find his ultimate potential drives me everyday and finding ways to challenge them to be better cricketers but also better people is what makes being a coach the real fun part. Everyone you work with is so different and trying to find out what makes each and everyone tick is an essential aspect and probably the part of being a coach I love the most!” The culmination of the 2018-19 season marked the swansong of Malan’s stint with the Central Stags, when he decided to step down. However, the end was just a new beginning, since the Auckland Aces roped him in as head coach. Malan has expressed his excitement to kick off a new journey with a new team: “It’s a new challenge in Auckland and one that we as a family really look forward too. It’s a little different to when I started at the Stags 6 years ago. We are definitely not going to try and reinvent the wheel, as the wheel is turning pretty nicely. A key focus would be to try and grow the wheel and make it turn even quicker!” The Auckland Aces are blessed with plenty of young talent, including the likes of wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips, who has played T20Is for New Zealand in the past, Under-19 captain Finn Allen, and Mark Chapman, who debuted for New Zealand in the 2017-18 season. More experienced campaigners in Martin Guptill, Lockie Ferguson, and Jeet Raval have all enjoyed success at international level. Grooming the next crop of youngsters will be key, and Malan’s leadership will provide a boost to a side that had a decent season last time around, but seeking even higher honors. Malan’s story to success defines the importance of maintaining a high confidence level during difficult situations, as well as adapting to circumstances. His breakthrough seasons with the Stags have helped pave the way for him to gradually enter coaching plans for New Zealand’s national side. Earlier this year, Malan filled in as interim batting consultant for the Blackcaps, during the home series against Bangladesh. The impressive CV and the track record of adeptly nurturing the young, inexperienced players to reach international quality, have proven to be very vital. As a mentor, the sky’s the limit for Malan: there are infinite possibilities, and it’s time to make the most of opportunities at hand.
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