Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini, age 33, playing his farewell game here on Durban, the venue of the 2010 Football World Cup semi-finals between Spain and Germany; he bowled his four expensive overs without a wicket.
A swift pacer with unlimited keenness and one of the vigorous players of all time; who bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not at an express pace, but joined the elite club of South African bowlers after getting 300 Test wickets with Shaun Pollock and Alan Donald – at an average of 28.53. This black South African is a deliberate replica of West Indian marvel Malcolm Marshall made his Test debut in 1998 against Sri Lanka and his maiden wicket was Aravinda De Silva who had been one of his two wickets in the game. He took 10 wickets four times to set a South African record which equaled last year by Dale Steyn, and possess the best match figures in South African Test history after clinching 13 for 132 against the West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004/05 season.
Ntini proved superlative with the best bowling figures by a South African in an ODI – six for 22 against Australia in Cape Town in 2005/06 and by reaching second place in the ICC test match bowling ratings. He took 265 wickets in 172 one-day matches at an average of 24.53.
In recent times, Ntini has time-honored himself as South Africa’s premier fast bowler and one of the foremost speedsters in the world. As of February 2009 he is ranked as the world’s fifth-best Test bowler at the rear with Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson, but later plunged to 25th best ODI bowler, according to the ICC rankings.
One of the smiling player of the world cricket ends his career. Such an energetic and a positive minded player, it’s quite difficult to hunt for such a player in the mere future.
Tags: Alan Donald, Bowler, Cricket, Cricketer, Durban, ICC Rankings, Makhaya Ntini, Pacer, Player, Shaun Pollock, South Africa, Sports
