When a cricketer leaves the game at 25, history suggests that they don’t do so on their own terms… not so for Dale Deeb.

By the time Dale Deeb had turned 25, his cricket CV was quite impressive. During high school at Trinityhouse in Randburg, he made SA Schools teams two years in a row, the highlight being captaining the 2008 side that included Temba Bavuma and Titans players Graeme van Buuren and Mangaliso Mosehle. After school, the spinning all-rounder represented SA Under-19 against England in 2009 before earning his breakthrough at the Highveld Lions via provincial cricket for Gauteng and North West. As has become popular with local cricketers, he’d also done a stint playing club cricket in the United Kingdom in 2012. However, by the end of the 2014-15 season Deeb chose to focus more on his work CV.

“It was a huge decision,” he admits. “Firstly, I was 25 but couldn’t really support myself on the contract I was being offered. Also I got to a point where I’d done everything I could for two seasons and was playing some of my best cricket, but wasn’t really getting any chances with the Lions. Ultimately, I also had something to fall back on.”

Deeb had already experienced a challenging period of studying. 

“I started off studying at the University of Johannesburg, but once I was contracted it just became too hectic. I was all over the country and it was too busy for me to even attend lectures. Then I went overseas, and when I got back I decided I needed to continue studying to get a degree. At UJ I studied B.Com Finance, but switched to B.Com Economics when I moved over to Unisa in 2011.”

As it turned out, studying part-time tested all of Deeb’s resolve.

“It required a lot more discipline, because if you don’t put in the time you’re not going to pass. One of the things I discovered that helped me was to do more subjects in winter when you have more time. In summer, during the season, I’d do three or four subjects, and then in winter I’d do six. I would still get my assignments and cram them in, but for three weeks during winter I’d put in eight or nine hours every day to work towards my exams.”

Finding Deeb with his books while padded up, or in stadium function rooms, or alongside regular roommate Nicky van den Bergh (himself studying towards his LLB at the time) became a common occurrence.

“I really put my head down in the last couple of years of studying and managed to finish my degree in 2015,” he says.

In the interim, Deeb also explored some business interests, initially getting involved with a business that erected, rented and sold scaffolding.

“We were bought out, so I’m currently involved in a company called Solid Ceiling Products with two partners. We import ceilings and partitioning for offices in commercial spaces and houses, and employ about 14 people in Johannesburg and Durban.”

Essentially it was Deeb’s need to get more hands-on that sealed his decision to move into the business full time.

“It wasn’t a case of when I get my degree, I’m going to stop playing cricket. It was more a case of weighing up the degree I had against the business I was in and what would be more meaningful for me in the long run – what would present me with a better future. It’s obviously been an adjustment working in an office rather than being on the field, but it’s all part of growing up – even if I do sometimes miss cricket.”

While financial considerations played a role in him transitioning out of cricket, Deeb highlights the challenges cricketers face.

“Yes, it had a lot to do with financial considerations, but I also felt it was the right time because I could commit to a long-term plan. There is no certainty in cricket. I needed more security or communication to stay patient, because I wanted a long-term future.”

And while Deeb is not even turning out for his old club, Wanderers, it’s not because he’s fallen out of love with the game.

“I’m loving working and doing what I do, but also having my weekends free. Maybe in time I’ll play a bit again, but when I look back I had seven years that I loved playing. I had an absolute blast in the last three years and ended with my best season [He was awarded the 2014-15 Provincial Three-Day Player of the Season]. Also, I felt I’d done everything I’d set out to do. I wanted to take 200 first-class wickets, and I did that. I also wanted to become an all-rounder, and in the last few seasons I averaged 30s and 40s with the bat.

“Overall, I’m happy about starting something new and being positive about it. The timing was right.”