STILL NOT ENOUGH BLACKS IN CRICKET – NTINI:
After 16 years since his Proteas debut, Ntini speaks on lack of transformation
IT has been 20 years since South African cricket supremo Makhaya Ntini from the Eastern Cape broke the racial barrier and became the first black pupil to play for Dale College’s cricket first team.
And it has been 16 years since he made his test debut for the Proteas against Sri Linka at Cape Town’s iconic Newlands Stadium. When former cricket administrator Dr Ali Bacher gave Ntini a ring to inform him about his test call-up, Ntini became the first black South African to play for the Proteas.
But Ntini’s road to national and international success was a bumpy ride.
The East London-based father-of-two was plucked from rural obscurity in his native Mdingi and nurtured at Dale College, the home of many a South African sporting hero and protégé, in King William’s Town.
He was barely able to string together an English sentence, but his infectious nature and natural ability carried him through and helped him negotiate many a culture shock.
Although the modest former cricketer is grateful for the doors that have been opened to him, he laments the fact that black talent has been left wanting in the Proteas set-up.
The then Dale College headmaster Malcom Andrew, who is now retired and living in Port Elizabeth, fondly remembers the first time he met the young cricketer, who coined the phrase that made him and his alma mater famous: “I don’t like cricket, I love cricket!”
In late 1993, a seminal meeting took place at the King William’s Town boys’ school between Andrew and a cricket talent scout, Greg Hayes, which paved the way for Ntini’s remarkable career.
“That was a humbling meeting when Greg Hayes came to the school with Makhaya in tow, seeking a place in the school for the teenager.”
At the time, Dale was an all-white school and Hayes’s visit brought about an opportunity for the integration that Andrew was as eager to seize.
The retired headmaster readily admits that there was resistance, but Ntini silenced his critics by letting his talent and hard work do the talking.
“It’s a funny old thing. Many people were up in arms when Makhaya came into the school, but as soon as he got a ball in his hands every one went from grumbling to cheering him on,” Andrew said.
“Being accepted into Dale was an opportunity of a lifetime.
“You have to remember that I came from nothing. My mom had to look after eight of us on her own.
“Although the Dale environment was new to me and I couldn’t speak English, I was determined to prove myself and make the most of the opportunity I was given,” Ntini said.
But instead of stalking opposition batsmen with his mean pace bowling, the former test cricketer is involved in less menacing pursuits these days.
He said: “I take my children to school, do a bit of commentary and do one-on-one coaching on a request-basis.”
Dubbed the Mdingi Express for his blistering pace and knack for netting wickets at key stages of the game, Ntini blazed a trail at the height of his subliminal career. However, the game has been unable to unearth other Ntinis.
“It’s been 20 years and instead of things getting better, black players are being sidelined. I don’t understand how the provinces are only expected to field two black players in their squads. Are you telling me that there are only 12 black players playing cricket in the country?
“If there is still talk of transformation, then I don’t know what the term means because someone needs to teach me about it,” he said.
Ntini is so passionate about giving back that plans are afoot to establish a training academy for up-and-coming talent.
“It’s really fulfilling for me to see youngsters want to achieve what I’ve accomplished on the cricket field.