Exclusive interview with Lesego Pooe: Her journey from cricket fan to broadcasting influencer

In an exciting interview with Cricket timesSouth African broadcaster Lesego bu She shared her journey from a cricket-filled childhood alongside her family to becoming a prominent personality in sports broadcasting. Lesego, who hosts Lions Cricket TV on SuperSport, not only brings passion to her commentary, but also plays an important role in championing women’s cricket. Her story is an inspiring one, driven by early influences from her father and brothers, who were cricket enthusiasts.

Lesego’s narrative underscores the transformative power of mentorship and representation in sports media. Her journey began with a spark of interest at the age of seven, watching cricket with her family, which developed into a professional passion after she was inspired Naidu cupthe first female cricket commentator in South Africa. This encounter not only motivated her to enter the broadcasting field, but also taught her the importance of representation and recognition, especially for women in sports. Her dedication to her craft, coupled with strategic use of social media, has seen her rise from YouTube content creator to a recognized voice in cricket broadcasting, particularly in championing and celebrating the growth of women’s cricket.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

Q: How did winning the Women in Social Media Award impact your career?

Lesego: Yes, I won the Women in Social Media award and it was very special for me to win that award because when you look at my journey the reason I exist today is because of the power of social media. I decided that I was going to use this platform and this tool to get to where I wanted to be, which meant the big broadcasters could see me and give me a chance in the streaming industry because at the end of the day you know TV is where things happen right and so I remember starting my YouTube channel In 2018, I was covering the T20 competition in South Africa and was doing match recaps on my YouTube channel.

I specifically focused on cricket alone because I knew I wanted to be in the cricket industry and be a cricket broadcaster and presenter, and so for me, being a winner of the G Sports Social Media Award 2021, it seemed like a full circle moment because That’s where I started, that’s where my cricket journey started, and for me, getting that award was kind of a validation of the work that I was doing and that I was good at what I was doing and everyone saw me. The right people in the industry, that’s what pushed me to be able to be seen by the right people because even after that time, I had to work in order to get a fair vacation, I worked for Super Sport now I’m a contract broadcaster and it’s been two years to Three years into Super Sport, and this award has really reminded me that my work is recognized and that I am moving in the right direction.

Q: How has the women’s cricket scene in South Africa evolved over the years?

Lesego: Women’s cricket has grown by leaps and bounds and it’s starting at a time when women’s matches are starting to be broadcast much more and this speaks to the fact that there is an appetite for women’s cricket and it has grown and continues to grow and it’s good to have Superport as the main broadcaster that is properly broadcast and can showcase The games are in South Africa, so there is definitely an appetite for women’s cricket especially given the fact that the Proteas women’s team got to the finals when the Women’s T20 World Cup was held here in South Africa and there was an appetite for that and you can see that the stadiums were packed to capacity. At Newlands and I was lucky to be there and I remember thinking that at the time there were only 10 to 20 to 40 spectators in the stadium, but by being able to see when there were no spectators, I was able to see the packed Newlands stadium. For a while it was a beautiful woman’s game to witness.

As I said, there is definitely an appetite and the women’s game continues to grow and I love what Cricket South Africa has done, they have given the female players the same match fees as the men, so they are all at the same level that they are. What we have done is they have also professionalized and professionalized women’s domestic cricket in this country and that is a good thing and we know that in the coming years there will be a women’s SA20 league and that is very exciting. There is a buzz around women’s cricket and now there is Test cricket that is happening between South Africa and England and the last Test match was in 2002 and you know we’re living in exciting times for women’s cricket and for me the reason behind that is I stand for women’s cricket because I’m a woman, I’ve played the game and I understand what it means to be a woman playing the game and that we Skilled, talented, we deserve the sponsors, we deserve to be professionals, we deserve the same amount of money as the men, we deserve it all, and as I said, we live in exciting times for women’s cricket.

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Q: Can you walk us through the preparation process before going live?

Lesego: Preparation is absolutely key, and this is the first fact, it is extremely important. For example, now I’m going to be covering the South Africa vs England series, I’m covering the T20s, and for me, that’s the way the preparation is done, I’m in my office actually I have a lot of notes right, so what I want to do is usually I do that, I start With, for example, England, I have to look at the games they were playing, what series they were in, look at the World Cup, the last T20 World Cup campaign, how it developed for them. In the premium shows Look What Went Wrong and they are able to see this season how their campaign has been throughout this entire season and then be able to read.

I have also read the articles that have been written all over England and even just the press releases heading into this series against South Africa. What are they looking forward to and what are they looking to improve and work on what is the statement they want to make in the series against South Africa, they have also played Test cricket and so this is great preparation for them to go to the Ashes against Australia and so you look there is a beautiful story that you can Coming out of the research and portraying that story in your live matches, so from England look at how South Africa performed, how their players who went to the WBBL performed. Are they going into the game against England in good shape or out of shape, that’s what you look at, so it’s preparation, read a lot of articles. If there’s a particular player that you’re not familiar with, look up players who have read some articles about that player, then do your research and find yourself in a position where you feel like you’ve covered all your bases because that helps ease your nerves in that knowing that you I’ve got you covered and ready to rock and roll, so this is just an overview of how I go about my preparations.

Q: If you could host an international sporting event, which one would you choose?

Lesego: I am looking forward to working in the ICC event which is number one. I want to start by being a digital insider. I don’t know if you’ve seen this role in the ICC, just start with the digital insider, I have a government plan. I would really love to get to a stage where I work as a digital insider and then step up to be one of the hosts for any ICC women’s event and I definitely want to work in a women’s event but definitely India I would love to find myself back in India I toured with the Proteas woman in 2019, I was a media director For only a month I was able to go to India.

I went to Vadodara, I went to Surat and I was able to immerse myself in the Indian culture and their food and India has always been a great country to go to and so I want to be able to find myself covering the women’s league only that aspect would be very cool for me to be part of something so big because India Whether it’s for men or women, Indians are really passionate about cricket and so I would definitely love to be a part of that but I mean it’s endless The Hundreds of the WBBL, there are many T20 leagues that are held for women and whether you get One or two leagues, that’s more than enough, I hope the women’s SA20 happens in the coming years to come and I would love to be a part of it for this team as well, so the world is my oyster.

Q: Who are the current players in modern cricket that interest you the most?

Lesego: Laura WolfhardtLet me tell you something, she’s a beast to coach, she takes cricket seriously, she takes the captaincy seriously, and we remember when Laura started, she was always called the best cricketer at number two, but her game, she’s always been good at coordinating 50 more But there was a moment when she changed her game because she realized that T20 is where it’s at and started working on her game and now you would never say that Laura was more of a longer format character because her T20 game is now exceptional. A consistent performer, she always delivers brilliant performances on tour, has always been the player that sets the tone for any game South Africa plays, consistent, reliable and an exception. I mean her cover attracts everyone and talk about Laura’s cover and she’s still young and it’s hard to believe that she’s still young and she’s had so many years in this industry and so she’s destined to be one of the greatest female cricketers the world has ever seen and that’s the player that I’m excited about And he’s a player I’ll always be excited about.

Watch the full interview:

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This article was first published in WomenCricket.comA Cricket times a company.