SPORTING GREATS
Cricket: Makhaya Ntini
Brad Morgan
3 October 2003
Once a "quota selection" for South Africa, Makhaya Ntini has gone on to become a team leader and one of the world's top cricketers. His hard-won status as a leading international strike bowler - as ready with a smile as with a bouncer - is far removed from his upbringing in a rural village in the Eastern Cape.
Ntini was first spotted by Border cricket development officer Raymond Booi in his home village of Mdingi. As a development officer, Booi did the rounds at the villages, introducing the young boys and men to the game of cricket, looking out for anyone with talent that might nurtured.
Ntini recalls that he was passing by one day when Booi was visiting, going to fetch cattle or horses, when he and some friends were called closer. He was given a ball and told to bowl. The results stunned Booi. Young Makhaya might have been a bit wild, but he was fast, and Booi knew he had found someone with enough raw talent to be turned into something
special.
Booi arranged for Ntini to attend Dale College in King William's Town, a school well known for its sporting prowess. When he first arrived there at age 14, the budding cricket star couldn't speak a word of English. However, he took up the challenge of his new life and the opportunities it presented, and prospered.
Schoolboy success
Ntini represented Border Schools at the Nuffield Week (U19 inter-provincial) in 1994 and 1995, and in 1995 was also selected for the national age group team.
He made his first-class debut against the touring England team in November 1995, claiming Alec Stewart as his first first-class victim.
Being one of the first black cricketers to make a mark after South Africa became a democratic country in 1994, Ntini soon found himself in favour with the national cricket selectors. In January 1998 he made his one-day international debut against New Zealand on the WACA Ground in Perth. He
performed superbly, sending down 10 overs and conceding only 31 runs, while claiming the wickets of Black Cap captain Stephen Fleming and wicketkeeper Adam Parore.
Two months later he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Cape Town, picking up two wickets in the match. Ntini was fortunate to make his debut at a time when South Africa had two world-class opening bowlers from whom he could learn - Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, both of whom have broken the magical barrier of 300 Test wickets.
In 1998 Ntini tasted success at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur when a South African team missing some of its star players upset a heavily favoured Australian team to win the gold medal.
Things were looking good for the Border star, but life was shortly to take a big dip.
Dark days
Ntini was accused of raping a woman at the Buffalo Park Cricket Ground in December 1998. He maintained his innocence, receiving the backing of the
United Cricket Board, but a shock awaited him in court. The judge delivered a verdict of guilty, and suddenly the 22-year old found himself facing a possible six years in prison.
Ntini's world was turned upside down. Not long before the tour he had been named as part of South Africa's 15-man squad for the 1999 World Cup in England. Now he was on the verge of being incarcerated, with the dreams of his career and life ruined. The United Cricket Board continued to support Ntini, but the organisation could not offer its funds to pay for his defence.
Ali Bacher came to Ntini's rescue. He contacted a friend of his who lived overseas and asked him whether he would consider providing money for Ntini's legal fees. The friend agreed. On appeal, Ntini's conviction was overturned, and he walked out of court a free man with a new lease on life.
Ntini returned to the national team a more focused, fit and enthusiastic player. He continued learning from Donald and Pollock,
refining his game, and in November 2000 he finally delivered a breakthrough performance.
In the spotlight
Facing New Zealand in the first Test in Bloemfontein, all eyes were on Allan Donald as he chased his 300th Test wicket. He duly claimed it, dismissing Shayne O'Connor.
However, Ntini stole the spotlight from Donald with his performance in the Black Caps' second innings. Showing tremendous stamina, he sent down 31.4 overs on a flat wicket that offered little assistance, capturing 6 for 66 to guide South Africa to victory.
It was a timely performance, as Donald was nearing the end of his great career and would, in fact, finish it with only 30 more wickets. Pollock, for his part, remained a great bowler, but no longer bowled with the pace he showed early in his Test career. Someone needed to assume the mantle of strike bowler for South Africa, and Ntini took it upon himself to do just that.
He was sharp against Sri
Lanka in the following series (December 2000 - January 2001), second only to Pollock in overs bowled and wickets taken, but when the Proteas toured the West Indies in early 2001, just when he should have been reinforcing his position as one of the team's leading bowlers, Ntini performed way below par and lost his place in the Test side for the final match of the five-game series. He captured only seven wickets in the series - although he dismissed Brian Lara three times.
Ntini needed to raise his game, but he struggled on very flat tracks against Zimbabwe in late 2001, and again when India toured South Africa immediately afterwards (October 2001).
A trip to Australia in December 2001 was hardly the recipe to bring about a change in the paceman's fortunes, and he was used sparingly. However, when Australia visited South Africa in February 2002, straight after the Proteas' tour Down Under, no one sent down more overs than Ntini, and he finished as joint top South African
wicket taker in the Test series.
Raising the bar
In September 2002 a visit by Bangladesh, the weakest of the world's Test playing nations, gave Ntini renewed confidence as the Bangladeshis struggled to come to terms with his pace, aggression and skill. He led the South African bowlers in both the Test and one-day international averages, and was the one bowler who looked as if he could consistently overpower the Bangladeshi batsmen.
From that point, Ntini's fortunes continued to rise. He was South Africa's leading wicket taker in a Test series against Sri Lanka in late 2002, and second to Pollock in a Test series against Pakistan played in December 2002 and January 2003.
In February he was a solid, dependable performer for the Proteas in a disappointing 2003 World Cup, capturing 10 wickets at 17.6, while conceding only 3.37 runs per over, but the best was yet to come.
When South Africa toured England in mid-2003, they
had to do so without two of the side's leading players for parts of the Test series, with both Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis missing along the way. The Proteas needed Ntini to lead, and he responded well to the challenge of a tough English tour.
Career highlight
The highlight of his career came in the second Test at the home of cricket, Lords. After a drawn first Test, South Africa took the initiative on the opening day of the second Test, skittling England for just 173 on a good batting pitch. Ntini led the way with 5 for 75.
Then, after the Proteas had established a huge first innings lead of 509 runs, they faced the problem of dismissing the English team for a second time on a featherbed track.
The Border paceman again played a leader's role, knocking over 5 for 145 to become the first black South African cricketer to capture 10 wickets in a match, and at Lords to boot. He shared the man of the match award with
double-centurion Graeme Smith, and saw his 10-wicket haul commemorated on the honours board of the famous ground.
Ntini finished the series with 23 wickets, 10 more than any English bowler managed and six more than the next best South African, Shaun Pollock. He had taken up the challenge of leading South Africa's bowling, passing the test with flying colours.
The series finally established Ntini as a leading light in international cricket - with the promise that the best is surely still to come …
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