Pride filled the voice of former Proteas fast bowler Mfuneko Ngam when he spoke about his appointment as the new Warriors assistant coach at a media briefing yesterday.
“It feels good to be back home. I have been watching the Warriors on television. They have been playing a good brand of cricket,” the former Warriors speedster said.
“For me to be part of the Warriors setup, assisting [head coach Rivash Gobind] and Jon-Jon [Smuts] is an honour and I’m very excited about the future.”
Having represented Eastern Province, the Warriors and South Africa A before later becoming a fully fledged Proteas star, Ngam has worked closely with Cricket South Africa (CSA) in a development capacity and has spent the best part of the last decade running the Fort Hare Academy in the Eastern Cape.
“People think coaching is an easy job. Some say if you were a good player and you go back to a coaching role you are going to make it. But it’s not always the case.“When I got to Fort Hare, I learnt a lot in terms of managing players, how to get players to play at their best and also understanding the structures of the Border/Eastern Cape region,” he said.
With the Warriors contracted squad bursting at the seams with youth for the upcoming season, Ngam said he believed in the ability of young players being able to carry any team forward but admitted that it was the presence of the more experienced individuals that helped them grow.
“Young players will not make it on their own so it’s good to see players like [Andrew] Birch, Jon-Jon and all the others because as a youngster it’s always nice to come into a team and have the senior players supporting you.
“I have worked with young players; I know what makes them tick. So it will be fairly easy for me to work with them.”
The appointment will see Ngam act as the right-hand man to franchise head coach Gobind, Warriors chief executive Mark Williams said.