The greatest achievements frequently arise from adversity. Caleb Saleka has some knowledge about that.
Saleka missed out on a spot in the final 15-man roster to compete in this year’s ICC U-19 World Championships in the Caribbean despite being a member of the initial South Africa U-19 squad.
The youthful leg-spinner acknowledges that it was “disappointing,” but he says that it just motivated him to work harder, which led to his nomination for the Joburg Super Kings for the inaugural SA20 next year.
“Not being selected for the (SA U19) current squad was disheartening. There are no resentments or anything, the trainers felt they were acting in the team’s best interests at the time, Saleka stated.
“Perhaps it was my fault; I could have done a little more, but that’s okay. I intended to do exactly that, and now look at where I am. This didn’t bother me in any way. I applied it to improve.
Saleka will be in good shape when he links up with his Joburg Super Kings colleagues in the new year because of his upbeat attitude and determination to work hard at his game.
“To be quite honest, I have no idea if I’ll receive many games. But I’m not bothered by it. Going into that professional setting with all that expertise and knowledge is the most important thing for me,” he said.
“I’ve already spoken with our bowling coach, Eric Simons. We have been discussing the goals and strategies for achieving them. The conversations have been quite uplifting. Already, it has affected my game.
Saleka will join the outstanding spin trio at the Wanderers, which also includes Maheesh Theekshana, a mystery spinner from Sri Lanka, and Aaron Phangiso, a late-season addition.
“I can learn a lot from him (Phangiso), especially considering that he’s from South Africa. He’s been performing for a while. It will be incredible, the 20-year-old predicted.
Mahesh Theekshana from Sri Lanka was the only spinner we had prior to his selection, so talking to him would be really beneficial.
On January 11, 2023, Seleka and the Joburg Super Kings will play an away game against the Durban Super Giants at Kingsmead to begin their SA20 campaign.
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