NEW DELHI: Max Heingo couldn't hide his smile as he talked about his mum, Elizabeth Abraham. The 17-year-old pacer from Namibia is sitting along the boundary ropes at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, talking about the long road he has been through from Oshali to Walvis Bay to Windhoek and now India for his first World Cup. "She's really proud, but she doesn't actually understand the meaning of a big World Cup. But yeah, she is proud," Heingo tells this daily.
After all, it was his mother, Elizabeth, who had been the one constant throughout his life. Oshali, a small northern village in the Ohangwena region closer to the Angola border, is where Heingo spent his early years with his grandmother. Soon, Elizabeth moved to Walvis Bay, a coastal city about 883km from Oshali, with Heingo and started her career as a factory worker. That is where he took to cricket at the Nara Primary School. "I started playing cricket in primary school, where one of our coaches invited me to play. So, I joined cricket, and I just got interested in it," recalls Heingo, who says his dad is self-employed.
When he started, the teenager tried everything in cricket before one coach asked him to try seam bowling and there was no looking back. Wherever he went, Heingo used to bowl and play cricket in the village. With no turf wicket to play on, he did not need spikes, as the teenager used to skid through concrete pitches in the early days. "My first game, I remember it was playing at Walvis Bay school, it's like a small field. I was U-11 at that time. We were just playing a school tournament and it actually worked out great. Back then, I didn't really get sponsors or scholarships; we were just on our own. There were a few sponsors that came by the way, not really big sponsors. The sacrifices (of my mum), she paid for transport and all that. She actually inspired me in an unexplainable way," says Heingo.
It did not take long for Heingo to climb up the ranks. So much so that by the time he turned 16, the teenager was playing for Namibia U19 at Windhoek. In fact, until he got to Windhoek, Heingo had never worn spikes or played on a turf pitch. The 17-year-old has a big smile as he recalls the first time he wore spikes. "I didn't really know about spikes. When I came to the big guys in Windhoek, that's where we learnt how to play with spikes and so on. They had a lot of grip, so every time I bowled, I got gripped and like I immediately stopped; the concrete wickets slid through," Heingo says, gesturing how his foot lands on the crease.
Idolising Kagiso Rabada growing up, Heingo has a smooth action like the South African and can hit the deck hard, making the ball climb. Though he hadn't met Rabada yet, Heingo had made a mark on his debut against South Africa last year, dismissing Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Donovan Ferreira. "I actually felt good, and my mum congratulated me. I felt really happy about that. She watches me play on TV, but she doesn't actually understand, so she's just looking for me," he says with a wide grin.
Once he made the senior team debut, Heingo, who was actually preparing for the U19 World Cup, was soon on his flight to India for the senior World Cup. Understandably, he felt the nerves whilst running in against the Netherlands — his first WC game — but once the nerves settled, he got through with ease. Namibia may not have gotten the desired result, but it was a day to remember for Heingo and his mother, Elizabeth, who was watching him on TV.
While he acknowledges that he is only starting, Heingo believes he is getting to a position where he can help Elizabeth out financially. "I'm still growing, I'm still a youngster, but I still have access to helping her out and so on. If she needs any help, I'll be able to. It's really big for me to help her. It's like paying back in a good way," he says with a smile.
Ask him who he wants to go up against, and without any hesitation, he mentions Abhishek Sharma. "I'm actually excited to play against India. I actually want to bowl to Abhishek Sharma and see how competitive he is. (If he doesn't play), I'll go for Suryakumar Yadav. I do have plans for him," he says, before joining the team huddle for training.
Over the next hour or so, he ran and bowled to his teammates, training for the Indian batters. When he takes the field on Thursday, expect him to give it all not just for himself and team, but also for his mother who will be cheering for him from Walvis Bay.