WE felt a lump in our throats when Makhaya Ntini trotted on to SuperSport Park to complete the Protea's batting lin-up against England. It did not matter that he plies his trade with a ball rather than a bat.

WE felt a lump in our throats when Makhaya Ntini trotted on to SuperSport Park to complete the Protea's batting lin-up against England. It did not matter that he plies his trade with a ball rather than a bat.

The line, bounce and the pace from the very first ball of the English innings reminded all gathered at the ground and millions watching on TV here and abroad why the Mdingi Express had become the first black South African to play 100 Tests for the national cricket team.

We are extremely proud of Ntini's achievements.

Though cricket has enjoyed the participation of black people for decades, apartheid had contrived to create an impression that it was a "white sport".

Ntini is a pioneer and a mythbuster. Because of him, a few more youngsters who might have thought they would never make it in the so-called white sports know they were lied to.