EXCLUSIVE | Klaas balances motherhood and cricket as Proteas target World Cup glory

Masabata Klaas is one of the few players in the Proteas Women’s side who are juggling motherhood and the high demands of international cricket.

The 34-year-old has been playing at the highest level for almost 15 years, having made her international debut in 2010, making her a member of the experienced group in the Proteas Women’s side. Her experience comes with responsibility, as she has to set the standard for the youngsters coming through — a feat that can be very demanding for any player, let alone a parent.

However, Klaas told Independent Media that the presence of her own mother in her life allows her to continue chasing her dream of representing the country at the highest level.

Her dream has evolved from representing the country to being an inspiration and example to her daughter that it is possible to be a parent and have a career simultaneously.

“Balancing cricket and being a parent is not easy, but in my case it is a lot better because I still have my mum in my life, who’s helping me with a lot of things in terms of looking after my daughter and making sure that I also carry on with what I love, which is cricket,” Klaas said, in an exclusive interview.

“After giving birth, you just need to stay at home for a couple of months, if not years. But I was lucky — I had to sit out for about a year, with the help of my mum.”

Klaas is one of the few active Proteas players who knows how tough life was before the South African women’s domestic structure turned professional two years ago. She said that in the pre-professional era, they did not have fitness trainers or nutritionists to help them prepare for what was required at international level.

Now, with women’s domestic cricket heading into its third professional season, Klaas believes the transition from domestic to international cricket has become much smoother.

“Back then, players did not have someone to help them with fitness or nutrition. However, after the structure was made professional, players have access to a gym and to professionals who help them with their fitness,” said Klaas.

“The new structure also makes the job of the national coach much easier because, when you get selected to the national team, you have to reach the requirements.

"With the professional structure now, it’s a lot easier because the girls are well conditioned and understand what is required in a professional set-up, in terms of fitness and understanding their game in depth — which is what is needed in international cricket.

“Whereas back then, such things were not there — that’s why a lot of players struggled to get to the national team, because when they got there they were overwhelmed by the intensity, purely because they had not been introduced to that kind of intensity at domestic level.”

Klaas and her teammates are set to travel to Pakistan next month for a series that will play a pivotal role in their preparations for the upcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. She believes she is in a good space to make an impact for the team in Pakistan and at the World Cup, and says the tour will help them get used to subcontinent conditions.

“Masabata Klaas, at this moment, is in a good space. She understands her game much better and is one of the experienced players in the national set-up. I believe I’m ready to take on the world and make sure that we win that World Cup trophy,” she said.

“Going to Pakistan, as a team, we’re going there to execute what we’ve been working on, making sure that we adjust to the weather and the conditions, because we believe Pakistan and India are going to be the same. So we just need to make sure that we adapt as quickly as we can.”