OTD | South African legend Makhaya Ntini was born in 1977

Makhaya Ntini was born on July 6 in 1977 and played for teams like South Africa and Chennai Super Kings. He was one of the best pace bowlers of the 2000s and had a stellar career in both Tests and ODIs. Ntini could operate well both with the new ball and with the old ball at a good pace. Seam bowling was his biggest strength, with which he tamed many batters.

Ntini got a chance to play 101 Tests, 173 ODIs, and 10 T20Is for his national side and even played two IPL matches for CSK in 2008. With 390 wickets in Tests, Ntini is the third-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the red-ball format. In ODIs, he took 266 wickets, the second-highest for a South African in the format after Shaun Pollock.

Ntini was well past his prime when he played T20Is. He claimed only six wickets in 10 T20Is before retiring from all forms of the game. Playing mostly on surfaces that were not always supportive for bowling, Ntini picked 390 wickets in Tests at a strike rate of 53.42, including four 10-wicket hauls and 18 fifers.

ODIs was his best format without a doubt, as the right-arm pacer claimed 266 wickets at an average of 24.66, an economy rate of 4.53, and a strike rate of 32.66. He was South Africa’s best bowler in major tournaments like the ODI World Cup in 2003.

With the emergence of bowlers like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and others, and his own bad form, Ntini had to make a way from the national side. However, he retired as one of the best bowlers South Africa ever produced. Ntini claimed 662 wickets at the highest level and achieved the status of an all-time great.

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