Interview with coach Geoffrey Toyona:

I have been privileged enough to score a short to score a short interview with one of my favourite South African cricket coaches, Geoffrey Toyona!

Q1: What, according to you, makes a winning team culture?

A: In any sucessful team, culture plays a massive role. Players (that drive the culture of the team) , as well as the coaching staff, must understand their roles with regards to the team's established vision, mission, goals, principles and values. Furthermore, a fertile environment is key - meaning, players need to be allowed to make mistakes and thereafter, need to be assisted in learning and growing from those mistakes.

Q2: Having coached in the South African domestic scene for a long time now, how did you/how do you, as a coach ensure your team's have an inclusive culture?

A: I coach by the following motto: "none of us is as good as all of us" . I also coach by the following key points: 1. Respect. 2. Trust. 3. Responsibility. 4. Commitment. 5. Humility. 6. Leadership. 7. Accountability. 8. Communication. 9. Diversity.

It is also important to remember that each individual's sucess is dependant on team success, and that individual's must celebrate each other's achievements.

Q3: Now I would like to ask a question regarding something I have personally admired for a long time. Having coached Quinton De Kock and Temba Bavuma during their young days at the Lions, how did you manage to build such a strong understanding/chemistry between the two?

A: For me, the belief and care that you show to people is important. Also, the role of senior players is important, at the time, I had Neil Mckenzie and Peterson, who played a role in the development of Quinny and Temba. From my side, I always made them believe that they are enough and that they can perform to their best, and that brought the two very close to each other and helped them to understand each other and grow together.

Q4: What has your overall coaching experience in South Africa been like?

A: Coaching experience has been excellent! I had the support and backup from Cricket SA in terms of obtaining my level 3 and level 4 coaching badges. Our programmes are brilliant and it is easy to grow within the system. I have had disappointments in the past, but they have helped me to grow as a person and as a coach.

Q5: With the Proteas squad being one in transition, how important is the balance between "young blood" and experience?

A: First of all, we have to admit our cricket is in trouble, and we as the relevant stakeholders need to sit down and iron out our differences. We are in a transition, but we do have some really good experienced players whom we need to make use of , they can assist our younger players and speed up the process of learning and transition. Our franchise system is strong, we have a lot of young talented players coming through, hence it is important that we as coaches do our work and ensure the pipeline keeps pumping.