UNtini ushaya amakhala ngoSteyn
UMAKHAYA “The Mdingi Express” Ntini, ongadinge kuchazwa emdlalweni wekhilikithi eNingizimu Afrika, uthi ufisa ukuthi umqeqeshi wamaProteas, u-Ottis Gibson, anike ithuba abadlali abancane kwelesizwe kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ezoba se-England naseWales ngonyaka ozayo.
NgoMsombuluko iCricket South Africa (CSA) imemezele ukuthi uDale Steyn uzokhuza ibuya kwelesizwe njengoba ezoba yingxenye yeqembu elizolibangisa eSri Lanka. USteyn, ohlushwa ukulimala, ugcine ukubonakala kwelesizwe ngoFebhuwari nonyaka odlule ngesikhathi amaProteas evakashelwe yi-India. AmaProteas azodlala amaTest amabili, eyosuku olulodwa, emihlanu, nomdlalo owodwa weT20 neSri Lanka ngenyanga ezayo.
Le midlalo iyingxenye yokuzilungiselela iNdebe yoMhlaba njengoba uGibson esahlunga abadlali azogadla ngabo e-England naseWales.
“Uma kuwukuthi uSteyn bambona ekulungele ukudlala, kulungile abamsebenzise. Kodwa owami umbono ukuthi abadlali abasebancane abafana noLungi Ngidi, odlale kahle kakhulu kwi-Indian Premier League (IPL), noKagiso “KG” Rabada, owole zonke izicoco kwimiklomelo yeCSA ebikhona, ngiyafisa banikwe ithuba ngoba sebezibonakalisile. Ngiyafisa ukuthi badlale kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ngoba uSteyn useke wadlala kwiNdebe yoMhlaba sabona ukuthi uphetheni,” kusho uNtini oveze ukuthi uzihlalele ekhaya selokhu ashiya ukuqeqesha eqenjini lesizwe laseZimbabwe.
UNtini ushiye kumaProteas enamawikhethi angaphezulu kuka-300. Uqale ukugijima kwelesizwe ngo-1998 ngesikhathi bebhekene neSri Lanka. Le nsizwa yaseKing Williams Town, iveze ukuthi ayeneme ngokuthi amaProteas athole izitha ezingaqinile ngokwanele ngaphambi kweNdebe yoMhlaba.
“Bekungakuhle sidlale namazwe aqinile afana ne-India noma i-England. Akungoba ngingayihloniphi iSri Lanka neZimbabwe ezolandela ngemuva kohambo lwaseSri Lanka kodwa ngibona la mazwe ebuthaka emdlalweni wawo, kungekuningi azosisiza ngakho,” kuchaza uNtini.
Isikwati seTest esizobhekana neSri Lanka: Faf du Plessis (ukaputeni), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Theunis de Bruyn, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn noShaun von Berg.