"I was asking for my mum all the time": Mondli Khumalo recounts his terrifying ordeal

SAM DALLING - INTERVIEW: In the early hours of May 29, Mondli was assaulted outside a Bridgwater pub. He had been celebrating a victory for his club side North Petherton. An auction has been set up to raise funds to help him in his recovery

Mondli Khumalo is perched on a sofa next to his uncle Sakhi. Both wear beaming grins as they speak from their temporary residence in North Petherton, Somerset. 

It has been a testing couple of months. In the early hours of May 29, Mondli was assaulted outside a Bridgwater pub. He had been celebrating a victory for his club side North Petherton, whom he had joined two months prior. 

He was rushed to Bristol's Southmead Hospital, where he was put into a medically induced coma. For four days he remained unconscious, fighting for his life. Three times he underwent operations to remove pressure on his brain. More than once his agent, Rob Humphries, and teammate Lloyd Irish - both of whom were virtually ever present by his bedside - were asked to 'have a moment'.

But on June 2, Irish's Twitter handle brought welcome news: "Mondli is continuing to improve and is now breathing on his own, he's now out of his coma and breathing tubes being removed as we speak. He's showing great strength, arm wrestling his agent and pulling himself up the bed."

Four days later Mondli was eating, and by June 8 he starred in a video catching a cricket ball. Ten more days passed and he was moved off the Intensive Care Unit. He has since been released completely, pending one further operation. 

^{Mondli Khumalo was assaulted in Somerset in May [supplied]}

Mondli has no recollection of the events of the night in question (and a police investigation is ongoing), nor of the following few days. 

"I was really scared. I didn't know what was going on really," he recalls of the hours after waking. "I was asking for my mum all of the time and just wanted to go home. I was so confused about what was going on. But they were really taking care of me."

Indeed, Mondli's family were back home in South Africa, and had to make do with telephone updates from agent Humphries. 

"When we first heard the news it was shocking to the family," Sakhi explains to The Cricketer. "We couldn't do anything. The first things that came into our minds were how are we going to get there?  Are they going to take good care of him? Is he going to stay alive? There were a lot of questions."

"We were praying to God for Mondli to recover. Robbie and Lloydy were trying so hard to be there for us, updating us every day and being there for Mondli. Those were the things that got us through. It took us six days to eat. We were drained. Really, really drained."

A week or so into his in-patient stay both Sakhi - who is now playing for North Petherton albeit in friendly cricket only owing to registration bureaucracy - and Sibongile, Mondli's mum, arrived in Bristol.

"When we saw him, when we came to the hospital, it was a huge relief for us," explains Sakhi, his eyes welling up. "His mum was so happy. Thanks to the grace of god! The care from the hospital was amazing. When Robbie told us that Mondli is in the best hands in England it reassured us, and then we saw that first hand."

Sibongile, having never previously left South Africa, required a fast-tracking of both passport and visa. Fortunately, help was at hand from Cricket South Africa and the KwaZulu-Natal Inland Cricket Union, and Sakhi was keen to extend particular thanks to the KZNCU's CEO Jason Sathiaseelan: "He was calling daily to check if we needed anything. He was really there for us. We really appreciated his help." 

Just 1 week after his 3rd brain op in 3 days, Mondli has today got his ability to catch back, and stand unaided! This boy is incredible #mondlikhumalo pic.twitter.com/MlFKNOqxRw

— Lloyd Irish (@lloydirish) June 8, 2022

Mondli was discharged almost a fortnight ago now but is still in the early stages of recovery: "I chill out and sleep a lot," he explains. "If I'm outside for long I get dizzy. I can walk around but not for a long distance. The first day I came back to North Petherton I was vomiting everywhere because I wasn't used to being in the car driving."

Temporarily at least, Mondli also needs a protective helmet. The left side of Mondli's skull was removed during his operations and he is waiting for further surgery for it to be replaced. "They took out the bone and put it in my tummy," he begins.. "So, I always wear my helmet when I go out. I was really keen to get out of hospital, but I just wanted them to put my bone back. But I have to wait for seven weeks for my last operation." 

The cricket community has circled Mondli with love. For his birthday last week, the South Africa white-ball squad joined Mondli and his uncle to send their wishes. A five-minute one-on-one was anticipated, but in fact it became a 30-minute video call with the entire touring party. Huge grins appear across the pair's faces, the magic flooding back. 

"The love that we have received when we came here was really amazing," Sakhi says. "To be honest, we were not expecting it. We didn't know what to expect really, but everyone is friendly here, the club, the parents are all great.

"The support, the messages we've received from around the world has been great. The mayor of Durban, the sports minister… we've received big messages from big people! It shows they really care a lot. And the Inland guys are helping look after our family while we are here in the UK."

It should not be forgotten that Mondli is a highly talented cricketer. He was only a month or so into his first stint in English club cricket but has visited these shores previously as part of a South Africa Under-19 Test squad in 2018. He played two matches, one at Chester-le-Street and the other at North Marine Road, Scarborough. 

"It was very typically English weather," he recalls. "I bowled, like, 23 overs in a day. That was my first time bowling that long. But I was happy."  He also featured in five games for South Africa at their home Under-19 World Cup in 2020. Asked for his favourite memory, laughter returns: "I don't have any really - we lost a lot of games!" 

"If I'm outside for long I get dizzy. I can walk around but not for a long distance. The first day I came back to North Petherton I was vomiting everywhere because I wasn't used to being in the car driving"

Mondli has also made nine appearances for KwaZulu-Natal Inland Tuskers, with whom he holds a high-performance contract for 2022/23. 

"I'm a swing bowler, a bit skiddy," he answers when asked to describe his style. "I'm short so only bowl bouncers now and then! Becoming a professional has been a dream come true. I just want to work myself up into the franchise games. I've just been enjoying every day, whether training or games."

He has had almost daily contact with his back home, those conversations setting his mind at ease. "They've been calling me telling me not to rush too much because they will have been back in the team. They are putting no pressure on me. That helps." 

The Khumalos will remain in Somerset while Mondli completes his rehabilitation. Mondli's older brother is getting married in December and that is a dangled carrot for the journey ahead. But he hopes to return to North Petherton in a playing capacity next summer. The cricketing world has their collective fingers crossed. 

The cricket community has rallied around Mondli Khumalo. Fundraising efforts have already raised in excess of £30,000 to support his recovery but that money will only go so far. There are accommodation, living and medical costs all to cover. 

To help ensure that the financial aspect does not become a further strain, an online charity auction is being held to raise further funding.  

The reaction has been touching, with players, artists, publishers, counties, international boards, and indeed The Cricketer all pledging lots. 

The auction can be found by clicking here.

Please, if you fancy anything, bid and help spread the word. The auction will close on Sunday, July 31 at 9pm BST. Please see @MondliAuction on Twitter for details.