Makhaya Ntini

Paceman Makhaya Ntini has come a long way since his days of playing club cricket outside the Eastern Cape village of Mdingi. His latest exploits against England have topped a fantastic string of results in the last year and have resulted in the fast bowler moving up to sixth place in the Test bowling rankings.

Test bowling rankings as at 3 August 2003:

Player (Points)
1 Muttiah Muralitharan (861)
2 Shaun Pollock  (860)
3 Glenn McGrath  (848)
4 Harbhajan Singh  (746)
5 Jason Gillespie  (740)
6 Makhaya Ntini  (739)
7 Stuart MacGill  (691)
7 Shoaib Akhtar  (691)
7 Andrew Caddick  (691)
10 Anil Kumble  (688)

Ntini is a product of the United Cricket Board's development programme and was fast-tracked into the international squad. He made his debut for the senior South African team against Sri Lanka in March 1998.

It was a triumphant moment for the UCB, as, in the spirit of a reconciled South Africa, Ntini became the first black African to play Test cricket for his country.

However, Ntini struggled for a number of seasons, before finding his feet in Test cricket. He was ineffectual against England in South Africa in 1998 and could find no length in Sri Lanka that would work. He appeared to put all that behind him when New Zealand toured SA in November 2000, taking 13 wickets at an average of 17.

He followed that up with ten wickets against Sri Lanka, also at home, at an average of 21.6.

However, the mercurial Ntini regressed against the West Indies in the Caribbean, taking only seven wickets in four Tests at an average of 42. His real low came against minnows Zimbabwe, where Ntini managed only one wicket in two Tests at an average of 187.

The pressure was on Ntini to perform in the much-anticipated series against Australia. However, his bad form continued and, after one wicket-less Test, he was dropped. Without Ntini in the team, the South African selectors ran into quota troubles.

Much to the relief of the UCB and the South African cricket public, those troubles are now well behind the team and Ntini is seemingly a fixture in the line-up. The turning point for the fast bowler was arguably the Test series against Australia in South Africa. Although the hosts lost 2-1, Ntini stood out amongst the SA bowlers.

From the Durban Test against Australia, South Africa began an 11-match unbeaten streak in which Ntini has played a leading role.

Although his career average of 28 does not inspire much awe, it is the energetic fast bowler’s more recent performances that make for very interesting reading.

Ntini has enjoyed a rich vein of form in his last 10 Test matches, picking up 58 wickets at a more impressive average of 19.58 - which begins to explain Ntini's meteoric rise up the Test bowling rankings.

His haul is also significantly higher than that of his bowling partner Shaun Pollock, who has claimed 33 in his last ten matches.

This figure is even more impressive when one considers that it accounts for more than half of Ntini's career haul of 114 wickets in 33 Test matches. While Ntini's career strike rate rests at 54.1, in the last ten Tests he has blasted out the opposition at 36.4.

While South African fans will often talk about the long and enthralling battles between Allan Donald and Michael Atherton, another copnflict appears to be brewing between Ntini and England opener Marcus Trescothick.

On Saturday, the South African completed a personal double against Trescothick. For the time being Ntini is in the ascendancy, having nabbed the England opener’s wicket all three times in the series thus far.

However, few achievements will have pleased the former Mdingi farm boy in his remarkable international career quite as much as 10/220 at Lord's and getting his name on the honours board.

"I am really thrilled," said Ntini at the end of the game. "When I came to Lord's for the first time nearly five years ago, I saw all those famous names up on the honours board... and I wanted to be up there with them.

"I am still young enough to come back again and try to gain another mention."

By John van Straaten