JOHANNESBURG, Dec 13: Makhaya Ntini, the cattle herder who became the first black cricketer to be picked for South Africa a decade ago, says his former charges can claim credit for his accuracy between the wickets.

“When I was growing up and herding we used to have a competition when if you hit the cow’s horns you got points,” he recalls. “I never missed.”

Now aged 30, Ntini is currently ranked the number two bowler in the world and has an iconic status among South Africa’s majority black population which had never previously shown much interest in the game.

Ntini said he yearned to see more black players follow in his footsteps, recalled the highs and lows of his career and spoke of his ambition to break the record for wickets for his country before retiring.

“I believe if it rains today, tomorrow the sun will come out and shine again. That’s what drives me.”

Ntini came to the attention of scouts as a 15-year-old when his curiosity at the large number of cars parked outside the ground led him to watch and then join in a game of cricket near his home in the rural Eastern Cape province.

“It was by a sheer chance that I became a cricketer, a blessing in disguise,” he said.

“I was with the boys herding cattle and horses when we saw many cars, we went to see what was happening. We were given balls to throw ... and I threw better and faster than the guys that were there and were already selected.”

He just missed out on selection in December 1997 for the tour to Australia and New Zealand but was called up for an injured teammate and he made his international debut against New Zealand in an ODI in Perth the following month.—AFP