OTD 1977: Makhaya Ntini was born

Makhaya Ntini made history as the first-ever Black African cricketer to play for South Africa. Regarded as one of the Proteas’ finest fast bowlers, he was the third South African bowler to take 300 Test wickets in a career that spanned over 100 Test matches. He established himself as a fine weapon across formats, with his pace and resilient attitude, picking up over 200 wickets in ODIs as well.

Born in 1977, Ntini came from an underprivileged background, being spotted by Broder Cricket’s Raymond Booi and Greg Hayes aged 15. He made his international debut in Tests and ODIs in 1998, aged just 21, but faced the risk of seeing his career cut short the following year on charges of rape. He was later acquitted of the charges, but the case left a lasting impression on the minds of South African cricket faithful, due to his identity as the first Black man to play for the Proteas.

Ntini returned to the South African side in 2000 and began establishing himself as a regular in the side. In 2003, he made history, becoming the first South African bowler to pick up ten wickets in a match, finishing with figures of 10 for 220 in an innings and 92-run win over England at Lord’s. His 5 for 75 in the first innings saw the Three Lions bowled out for 173, before toiling hard for figures of 5 for 145 in the second innings.

In 2005, in Port of Spain, Ntini picked up his career-best match figures of 13 for 132 against the West Indies, which to this day remains the best match haul for a South African bowler. Ntini finished the first innings with figures of 6 for 95, as West Indies got to a total of 347 with Brian Lara scoring a magnificent 196. He then ran through the batting lineup in the second innings with a searing spell of fast bowling, finishing with seven wickets for 37 runs.

Ntini was also a successful bowler in the ODI format, and his best performance came against Australia, as he picked up 6 for 22 in 9.3 overs, bowling the world champions out for 93 while chasing 290. He became the first Black South African cricketer to make 100 Test appearances when he featured against England in December 2009. He was able to add just one more appearance afterwards, officially announcing his retirement from international cricket.

Ntini finished his career as one of South Africa’s leading fast bowlers, picking up 390 wickets in 101 Test matches. He has also picked up 266 wickets in 173 ODI games. He is currently the third-highest wicket-taker for the Proteas in Tests and the fourth-highest in ODIs. He also played nine matches for the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008, picking up seven wickets. In a country with significant sociopolitical turmoil, Ntini was a true torchbearer for athletes of colour to make their way into the sport and find success.

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