St. Andrew’s School in Bloemfontein is renowned for producing exceptional cricketers, and the latest talent to come from the school is no different.
The school’s first cricket team captain, Dakalo Leketa, has been called up to the South African u.19 Emerging Team, and will be touring to Zimbabwe from 15 to 30 September.
The right arm off-spinner is already part of the Free State u.19 team and has recently added to his and his school’s list of accolades. Leketa was crowned as the Bowler of the Tournament at the Fasken Time Festival, after taking 13 wickets in St. Andrew’s two matches.
Leketa explained that his love for the game developed when he was younger. “I played in the backyard with my cousins every weekend and my mom also watched a lot of cricket on TV,” he said. “This is my 8th year playing, I started playing beginning of grade 4, back in 2016.”
His coach, AJ van Wyk, explains that Leketa is a special player. “As coaches, we can be seen as ‘stress managers’, and our players react to the way we push or manage them. Dakalo never needed motivation from my side, the responsibility taken upon himself to reach his goals is remarkable for his age,” said Van Wyk. “It makes me very happy to see that the work and the standards he set himself bears fruit.”
Leketa is looking forward to his upcoming challenge and wants to make the best of the tour to Zimbabwe. “It’s a really great feeling and an honour knowing I get to learn from the best and represent my country,” he said, “and gain as much knowledge as possible from them and my teammates.”
“Dakalo is cut from a different cloth,” said his coach. “He takes on the responsibility and work needed to reach his potential. The thing that’s probably most outstanding about him is his intentional way of doing things every day, he has a hunger to learn and get better every day.”
Leketa dreams of one day playing test cricket for the Proteas and credits his mother as his biggest inspiration to get there. “She works so hard to see me happy,” he said, “and I just want to do the same for her.”
Warren Hawkins
