Makhaya Ntini OIS (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first black player to play for the South African national cricket team. He reached second place in the ICC Test match bowling ratings and was the third South African cricketer to take 300 Test cricket wickets, after Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald. In December 2017, his son Thando Ntini was named in South Africa's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He played his last match against India in 2011. Early recognition Ntini was born in Mdingi, a village in Cape Province, which is near King William's Town (currently in Eastern Cape Province). He was discovered by a Border Cricket Board development officer, who was setting up a mini-cricket programme. Although Ntini was both too old and too big to participate in the programme the officer, Raymond Booi, noticed the bared-footed cowherd's enthusiasm and talent for bowling. He lent the 15-year-old Ntini a pair of plimsolls and arranged for him to participate in a net session in King William's Town. Ntini impressed Booi, who contacted Greg Hayes, the head of the development programme. The pair placed Ntini in a junior cricket festival in Queenstown and Hayes purchased Ntini his first pair of boots for the festival, but later had to give the young bowler instructions not to wear them indoor or when herding cattle. Two years later, he was selected to tour England with the South Africa Under-19 squad and played all five of the youth internationals. England dominated both One Day Internationals (ODIs) during the tour, with the South Africans only managing to take one wicket across the two matches, which fell to Pierre Joubert. In the Test series, which England won 2–0, Ntini claimed nine wickets, the second-most by a South African bowler. His bowling was expensive, coming at a rate of 4.53 runs per over: more than any other South African with the exception of Mark Boucher, who is best known as a wicket-keeper. Domestic career After two matches for Border against the touring Kenyans, Ntini made his First-class cricket debut in November 1995, facing an England XI. He claimed two wickets in England's only innings as Border were beaten comprehensively. In his debut season, Ntini claimed 17 wickets at an average of 37.05 in First-class competitions. His best performance in an