In the midst of her busiest international season to date, Proteas Women’s player Trisha Chetty is still finding time for off-the-field objectives – without her form suffering.

Proteas Women’s Team batter and wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty is riding the crest of a wave at the moment. Not only is she part of the national squad currently in India for the ICC Women’s World T20, but her recent form suggests she will be key to the objectives of the team both there and in the future. On top of that, Chetty has also made time for dual career opportunities, by studying online.

“I signed up for the Introduction to Exercise Science course offered by the ,” says Chetty. “It wasn’t a long course – the maximum time you have to complete it is six months, but you can finish it in less.”
Identifying a course suited to her interests and schedule proved easy, with Chetty’s SACA Personal Development Manager Kirsten van Heerden there to guide her through the process of making an informed choice applying for a bursary and supporting her through the duration of the course.

“When I decided to take my studies further, Kirsten was more than helpful to me – from registration straight to the final exam. Sport is what I love and I have an interest in coaching, so it didn’t take us long to identify a suitable course.”

Chetty found, as most professional cricketers have, that the online route fitted perfectly into her schedule.

“Every aspect of the course is online, from assessments to the actual final exam. Online was more convenient for me because we travel and are away from home a lot of the time.”

She does, however, admit to a bit of final exam angst, as the allocated time to finish the course came and went rather quickly. Yet she really enjoyed being able to study whenever and wherever she was. The opportunity to have your studies funded has been a positive spin-off, with the women’s game taking big steps in recent years – including contracted players being registered as SACA members. The majority of the national Women’s squad are now fully contracted players, which apart from the financial benefits has also lead to full SACA Player Plus access – which Chetty is thankful for.

“Thanks to Momentum we have 14 contracted women players. This financial help enables us to focus more on improving our game. The SACA Player Plus Programme helps us plan better for our future after cricket, so now we can relax and focus on our game.” As a result, Chetty hasn’t only called on Van Heerden, who is based in her hometown of Durban, for dual career objectives. Van Heerden, a former Olympic swimmer, is also a qualified sports and performance psychologist so has proved a good sounding board to the 27-year-old whose dual role in the national team necessitates being focused at all times.

“I feel pressure lifted off my shoulders knowing I have something to fall back on after cricket. As a result, it’s helping me concentrate more on my game and I’m able to play freely.”

Chetty did just that in the series leading into the tournament in India, showing some of her best form since making her debut in the green and gold in 2007. She scored a fluent 66 in the successful run chase against England in the second ODI before a plucky 46 in the First T20I in Paarl – which was lost despite her efforts.

Though the West Indies Women ultimately won the ODI series that followed, Chetty put together scores of 47, 51, and 55 in the three matches – the last being a match-winning knock. All the while, she has remained her usual tidy self behind the stumps.

With her course done and dusted, Chetty is left to focus completely on her game at the moment, but she intends to broaden her horizons even more once the World T20 is over.

“I definitely want to do more courses through the Player Plus programme when I get back from the World Cup in India.”