Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the South Africa Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
The first Black African to play cricket for South Africa, and good enough to reach second in the world Test bowling rankings.
Makhaya Ntini herded cattle at Mdingi near King William's Town and was spotted at a rural development clinic; he had never played with a proper ball. Six years later he was opening the bowling for South Africa — the first Black African to play cricket for the country, in a sport that apartheid had reserved almost entirely for white players.
He took 390 Test wickets in 101 matches, second only to Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn among South Africans, and rose to second in the world bowling rankings. He took ten wickets in a Test at Lord's in 2003, the first South African to manage it there, and thirteen in a match against the West Indies in Trinidad. He ran in wide of the crease, from the very edge of the return crease, angling the ball in at a pace nobody could leave alone.
He was cheered onto the field by a crowd chanting his name in a way reserved for no other South African cricketer of his era, and the path from township and rural cricket into the national side effectively begins with him. He has spoken since about how isolated he often was inside the team.
He took 390 Test wickets in 101 matches, second only to Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn among South Africans, and rose to second in the world bowling rankings. He took ten wickets in a Test at Lord's in 2003, the first South African to manage it there, and thirteen in a match against the West Indies in Trinidad. He ran in wide of the crease, from the very edge of the return crease, angling the ball in at a pace nobody could leave alone.
He was cheered onto the field by a crowd chanting his name in a way reserved for no other South African cricketer of his era, and the path from township and rural cricket into the national side effectively begins with him. He has spoken since about how isolated he often was inside the team.
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