Classical Kgalagadi cheetah scene, Giovanni!
They love to be active late morning and through the afternoon so nothing your could do about the light - it was well handled in any case.
The cheetah just seems to be slightly oversharpened and the sky seems a bit too saturated?
The harsh light helps portray a hot and dry atmosphere quite effectively. I agree with Morkel's assessment re sharpening and the sky saturation; if it were mine I might just crop away the sky.