Latest news with #Maketa
The Star
03-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Kagiso Rabada will thrive under intense pressure in crucial showdown against Australia, says Malibongwe Maketa
Former Proteas assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa says Australia should provoke SA fast bowler Kagiso Rabada at their own peril, in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final. Rabada was at the centre of a controversy the last couple months, after he announced at the end of April he had tested positive for a banned recreational drug. The drug was later confirmed to be cocaine. By the time Rabada made the announcement he had just about completed his one-month ban and swiftly returned to action for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Now, as Rabada turns his attention to the WTC final starting on June 11 at Lord's, in London, he will no doubt be one of the main targets for the Aussies to sledge. "With their history, it brings in a different pressure in terms of facing Australia and their record precedes them, so you know for a fact that it's going to be relentless pressure,' Maketa told 'Not only from the bowling, but also from the body language, from the fielders, and when you're in Australia, the pressure comes even from the public. It is intimidating. You feel a different energy when you're about to play them.' The 30-year-old Rabada is now a seasoned campaigner in the Proteas team, and has come up against the fiery Aussies on a number of occasions in the longest format of the game. Maketa therefore believes that Rabada will be more than up to the task. "I don't think he identifies with the word pressure in the sense that he actually goes towards the fact that it's tough, he thrives under pressure. I think the Australians have learned now. I don't think the current crop of players would say too much to KG because they know what they would bring out in him. "The public, yes, might say something here and there but I think with what has transpired in the past, they would definitely stay far away from KG in terms of getting him to a point where he has to say stuff like, 'you guys, I'll show you who I am'. I think that would be their approach." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
IOL News
03-06-2025
- General
- IOL News
Kagiso Rabada will thrive under intense pressure in crucial showdown against Australia, says Malibongwe Maketa
WELCOME PRESSURE Kagiso Rabada is more than capable of thriving under pressure in WTC final against Australia, says former Proteas coach Malibongwe Maketa. Picture credit: Michael Sherman/IOL Now, as Rabada turns his attention to the WTC final starting on June 11 at Lord's, in London, he will no doubt be one of the main targets for the Aussies to sledge. The drug was later confirmed to be cocaine. By the time Rabada made the announcement he had just about completed his one-month ban and swiftly returned to action for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rabada was at the centre of a controversy the last couple months, after he announced at the end of April he had tested positive for a banned recreational drug. Rabada's Resilience Against Australia: Thriving Under Pressure "With their history, it brings in a different pressure in terms of facing Australia and their record precedes them, so you know for a fact that it's going to be relentless pressure,' Maketa told 'Not only from the bowling, but also from the body language, from the fielders, and when you're in Australia, the pressure comes even from the public. It is intimidating. You feel a different energy when you're about to play them.' The 30-year-old Rabada is now a seasoned campaigner in the Proteas team, and has come up against the fiery Aussies on a number of occasions in the longest format of the game. Maketa therefore believes that Rabada will be more than up to the task. "I don't think he identifies with the word pressure in the sense that he actually goes towards the fact that it's tough, he thrives under pressure. I think the Australians have learned now. I don't think the current crop of players would say too much to KG because they know what they would bring out in him. "The public, yes, might say something here and there but I think with what has transpired in the past, they would definitely stay far away from KG in terms of getting him to a point where he has to say stuff like, 'you guys, I'll show you who I am'. I think that would be their approach." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Bavuma is ready for the Aussie heat, believes former assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa
Former Proteas assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa believes captain Temba Bavuma, left, is mentally prepared for the high-pressure challenge of leading South Africa against Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's. Photo: AFP Image: AFP With the World Test Championship (WTC) final fast approaching, Independent Media has engaged with many former Proteas players — and their message to the current South Africa Test team has been unanimous. From Fanie de Villiers and Alviro Petersen to Andrew Hudson, it has been made quite clear that facing Australia, especially in a final, is an unimaginably tough challenge — one that captain Temba Bavuma and his team will face next month at Lord's. To gain even greater insight into what it's like to take on the Australians, Independent Media spoke with former Proteas assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa, who worked alongside then-head coach Ottis Gibson during the infamous 2018 'Sandpaper Gate' Test series. Maketa also served as interim head coach in 2022, the last time the Proteas played a Test series against Australia — one which marked South Africa's first series defeat in Australia in over a decade. Now 44 and coaching the South Africa Emerging side in Bangladesh, Maketa admitted that Bavuma will experience a very different kind of pressure, as he captains the Proteas in Tests against Australia for the first time. Nonetheless, he believes Bavuma is well prepared. 'I think it's going to be a totally different pressure now in terms of Temba. They always target the captain — they always look at the opposition's best batter, and they make it clear that they're coming for him,' Maketa said. 'Nine times out of 10, they'll say, 'we've picked up something in his technique'. They just try to plant a seed in your mind to distract you from focusing on playing and watching the ball. Closer to the time, I'm sure they'll start doing that to Temba. 'But Temba's been around for a long time. Technically, he's one of our best players. The real test will be mental — whether he's ready for everything the Aussies will throw at him. 'They'll definitely set some funky fields just to get him thinking, 'what are they trying to do?' But we know they're going to hit the top of off-stump. That's the kind of bowling attack they are—disciplined, relentless, and able to maintain their pace through the whole Test. I think Temba is ready to handle this now.'
