CRICKET

Cricket has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and school cricket is where I learned most of what I know about leading people.

 

In high school I've represented my school in 12 tournaments and won Player of the Match three times. I play as an all-rounder, which I love because it means I'm never out of the game. If I don't get runs, I can still turn things around with the ball, and the other way round. I was also selected for the U-17 district team, which was a big moment for me and the first time I played alongside some of the best players my age in the region.

 

My first leadership role was as vice-captain. That season our team qualified for the knockouts for the first time and finished 4th out of 26 teams. Being part of that changed how the whole team saw itself. We stopped thinking of ourselves as a side that just shows up.

 

In Grade 11 I became captain, and I've continued in that role into Grade 12. That year we reached the top 8 at the ISSO Nationals and won an inter-school tournament. Captaincy turned out to be very different from just playing well. I had to think about field placements and bowling changes in real time, keep players confident after a bad over, and make calls that weren't always popular. Some of the hardest moments were deciding who plays and who sits out, because everyone on the team works hard and wants to be on the field.

 

What I've learned is that a captain's job is mostly about reading people. Knowing when someone needs a push and when they need space matters as much as reading the pitch. A lot of that has carried over into everything else I do, whether it's running sessions at NGOs or working in a team on a project.

 

Cricket also taught me how to lose properly: look at what went wrong without blaming anyone, and come back ready for the next match.