Makhaya: from zero to hero

Makhaya Ntini’s career story is the most extraordinary sporting tale on the planet and now cause for great celebration as during the first test against England he will accomplish something that very few have ever done in the history of the game.

Reaching 100 test caps is something Makhaya never dreamed would happen and that is totally understandable when you consider his beginnings.

How can an individual who, while growing up, had no desire or aspiration to play the game of cricket be on the verge of such a significant milestone? How can a youngster whose family knew absolutely nothing about the game, and therefore provided no guidance, have succeeded so spectacularly at this level? How can someone who had zero introduction or knowledge of cricket in his early years, unlike the other test centurions, acquire such legendary status?

Just think about it. This week Makhaya will become one of the few cricketers to have ever donned the whites of the game and the badge of his country on his way to winning 100 test caps. He is someone who thoroughly deserves the iconic status he enjoys within his native country and his perseverance and application should be admired by all. He has trodden a very unusual path, a path that is inspirational to many and unbelievable to others.

His early life was blindingly simple and one of numbing hard work as he grew up in rural poverty in Mdingi alongside seven brothers and two sisters. The family abode was cramped and provided little more than the very basics of existence, yet family warmth constantly permeated the walls. His daily task was to tend to cattle and sheep come rain or shine, come summer or winter.

The brutal winters of the Eastern Cape often tested his nerve, but his now famous unrelenting spirit always triumphed. Such was the way of the land in his early days that when the biting cold challenged his mettle he would often walk behind the cattle and warm his feet by standing in steaming cow dung along the way.

Ntini’s international debut was in Australia way back in 1998 against New Zealand at Perth during a one-day game. His test debut came a couple of months later against Sri Lanka in Cape Town and that is a moment he will cherish forever. Since then this humble individual has gone from herding cattle and running with horses, which he says honed his remarkable fitness levels at an early age, to taking 10 wickets in a test on the hallowed turf at Lord’s in 2003, to shortly having the chest-beating honour of representing South Africa in 100 test matches.

December 16th will be a watershed day for South African sport and Makhaya deserves all the accolades coming his way. Astonishingly, it all started when he was walking with a friend in Mdingi and stumbled upon a game that was totally foreign to him.

An instant attraction resulted and the game of cricket is so much richer for it.