KATHMANDU, Nov 13: South Africa cricket legend Jonty Rhodes along with coach Ryan Maron arrived in Nepal on Sunday to lead a 10-day high-performance coaching camp for select few young players at TU international cricket ground, Kathmandu, organized by Sports ED and Nepal Cricket School (NCS).

The Mumbai Indians fielding coach said he was inspired by the common passion for cricket that Nepal and South Africa shared. 

“No matter what language you speak, I understand everything because you have the same passion when talking about cricket. We have similar issues regarding cricket no matter what country we come from,” said Rhodes at an event organized in Kathmandu on Monday.

The 49-year-old was quick to recognize the key aspect where Nepali cricket is struggling apart from the obvious external factors. 

“Nepali cricket has very strong U-19 team, but there is no continuity from there. May be due to lack of funding and infrastructure as school and academy cricket are also not existent here,” he added.

The right-handed middle order batsman underscored the need for continuing the knowledge for longer periods of time to see proper development in skills set and approach towards the game. 

“You can coach 40 or 45 players in 10 days but if you can coach 10 to 15 coaches, it can help other players exponentially who are not being able to be part of the current batch. It is about continuity of things we learned. We want to add value that will stay for longer period of time.”

 Over 40 students have been finalized for the camp so far. There will also be a camp for coaches on Tuesday, which will include national head coach Jagat Tamata and other age-level coaches of Nepal.

Rhodes also recalled how South Africa built up on its struggling economy to develop a public-private partnership to uplift their sports and eventually the economy. 

“The public-private partnership model helped South Africa build its economy. Kathmandu also needs it at the moment. Our involvement is a start. We want to make a difference. We will try to be the catalyst as much as possible for Nepali cricket to help it move forward. If you are a businessman and interested in cricket, please do invest in it.”

Likewise, he called for developing awareness on the match scenario for overall development as a cricketer. “I specialize in fielding coach. My inputs will be focused on match situations. It is important how you can practice being in a particular match scenario.” 

Rhodes also recalled how the run-out of Inzamam Ul-Haq during the ICC World Cup 1999 changed his career and brought mainstream attention to fielding, an overlooked element of cricket.  “It launched my career. It brought attention to the third element of the game -- fielding.” 

“It has taken 10 years for India to move on from the seniors (older guys) to a generation that is very good at fielding. It takes a long time but it eventually does happen once the seed is planted.” Rhodes added. 

He was it was important to be persistent and patient with the young cricketers who are willing to work on their game.

Jonty Rhodes is a former South African Test and One Day International cricketer. He is commonly regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all times. He played for the South African cricket team between 1992 and 2003.

 
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