Makhaya Ntini, the cattle herder who became the first black cricketer to be picked for South Africa a decade ago, says his former charges can claim credit for his accuracy between the wickets.“When I was growing up and herding, we used to have a competition when if you hit the cow’s horns you got points,” he recalls. “I never missed.”Now aged 30, Ntini is currently ranked the number two bowler in the world and has an iconic status among South Africa’s majority black population which had never previously shown much interest in the game.In an interview, Ntini said he yearned to see more black players follow in his footsteps, recalled the highs and lows of his career and spoke of his ambition to break the record for wickets for his country before retiring.“I believe if it rains today, tomorrow the sun will come out and shine again. That’s what drives me.”Ntini came to the attention of scouts as a 15-year-old when his curiosity at the large number of cars parked outside the ground led him to watch and then join in a game of cricket near his home in the rural Eastern Cape province.“It was by a sheer chance that I became a cricketer, a blessing in disguise,” he said. “I was with the boys herding cattle and horses when we saw many cars, we went to see what was happening. We were given balls to throw. and I threw better and faster than the guys who were there and were already selected.”Soon young Makhaya was being packed off to Dale College cricket school, making his first class debut in 1995 for the provincial Border team where he soon attracted interest from national selectors. He just missed out on selection in December 1997 for the tour to Australia and New Zealand but was called up for an injured teammate and made his international debut against New Zealand in an ODI in Perth the following month. “I remember my first victim was (former New Zealand skipper) Stephen Fleming,” he said. “What I felt was something you can’t explain.”The following year, however, saw him hit the front-page headlines when he was tried and initially convicted of rape. The decision was finally overturned on appeal although he was only recalled to the national side in 2000.Ntini is reluctant to rake over the past but said: “In ten years, the road will never be smooth. There will definitely be potholes and flat tyres,” he added.Since then, he has become only the third South African to take 300 Test wickets after Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock and written his name in the record books as the first South African to take 10 wickets in a match at Lord’s.“Maybe I will reach Pollock’s record (of 416 wickets) before I hang up my boots at 40,” said Ntini with a trademark twinkle in his eye. Before retiring, however, Ntini yearns to see more black players break into the Proteas line-up. While several mixed race players such as Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince are also regulars, Ntini is still the only remaining black player who is an automatic first choice on the team sheet.While refusing to be drawn on the argument over the pros and cons of racial quotas, Ntini said he did not want to be an exceptional case. “There are many Makhaya Ntinis out there and I would love to see more black players coming through,” he added. “That is something I would like to change.”To mark his 10 years at the top, Ntini has been granted a benefit by the Border Cricket Board with a 25 over day-night match against the West Indies tomorrow the highlight. Ntini’s invitational XI will include retired legends such as Jonty Rhodes and current teammates Gibbs, Pollock and Jacques Kallis. “Makhaya sets an exceptional example both on and off the field and the Board is very delighted to award a benefit season to a legend,” said Themba Lupuwana, the Border Board’s chief executive.
