All young cricketers need is a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them. 

This is the motto Assupol TuksCricket coach, Mzuvukile Matomela, abides by every time he steps into his "office". The club's cricket nets. The biggest reward to him is if he can go home knowing that he made a difference. Sometimes no one else but he and one player will understand what is about. 

The legendary Bob Marley used to sing - "I don't like cricket, oh no, I love it." Matomela certainly can relate to it. 

For him, it is difficult to think of a time when he did not have a cricket ball or bat in his hands. He was once forced to make a clean break from the sport. It made him very unhappy. 

It came about while Matomela was studying sports management. He had to quit in his third year because of financial constraints. The only option left to him was to start working. He hated every moment of being office-bound. 

"Something was amiss in my life. At first, I did not realise what it was. All changed the day I decided to go and watch some kids play cricket," the Assupol Tuks coach explained.

"When I arrived at the field, I saw a mom throwing a ball to her son. I decided to step in. I told her politely that she can go and sit. Her son and I got talking. He explained to me that he problems playing a specific shot. I gave him some advice as to how he can improve his technique. To make a long story short. He went on to notch up 40 odd runs coming close to his best score. 

"The next week I went to watch my niece play. Some parents recognised me. I was asked to help a few kids. That is how I got started as a coach. It is sort of ironic. I always said the last thing I will ever do is to coach. Now I love it." 

Matomela is involved helping Assupol Tuks's age group teams. 

"Before I start to coach any player, I will sit down and talk to them about the game, their goals and what needs to be done to make it a reality. It is a way to win their confidence. 

"When it comes to coaching, I prefer finetuning a player's talents rather to a 'total makeover'. In short, it boils down to each player his own 'man' on the field. There is no one blueprint to success."

Matomela played provincially at a school and senior level for Border. Bowling was his passion. It was never only about being fast. 

"We did not always get to play on the best of pitches. It forced me to think about the game and being able to adapt to any conditions. It is something I try and teach when coaching.