No pressure boy, Ntini tells son
‘Under-19 World Cup an open door’
When South Africa begin their campaign at the Under19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand on Sunday, there is no doubt that the world’s attention will be on Thando Ntini, the son of Proteas legend Makhaya Ntini.
“All eyes will be on him for sure but we, as the family, we told him ‘no pressure son’,” Ntini senior told Sowetan yesterday.
“Yes, the family name is up there but what I did to get the Ntini surname out there is in the past. Thando needs to walk his own path and create his own legacy.” Makhaya, who recently resigned as Zimbabwe bowling coach, said the youth World Cup “is opening a slight door for opportunities as not all of them [the players] will get contracts from provinces and stuff like that”.
A case in point is the class of 2014. Kagiso Rabada and Andile Phehlukwayo were among the few who rose through the ranks after the team’s triumph at the 2014 edition in the United Arab Emirates.
“The boys must just enjoy the moment; they’re still at school and that is what’s important,” Ntini pointed out.
While he maintained that he never forced his son to take up cricket, Thando, 17, seems to have literally followed in Makhaya’s footsteps.
This is reflected in a December 2009 image where the then eight-year-old walked dad onto the pitch to mark Ntini’s 100th cap.
“He grew up walking around with a bat in his hand,” Ntini senior recalled.