For a black kid born in the early 90’s growing up in a location or rural area with a love for cricket, Makhaya Ntini was more often than not their early inspiration. If you could pick up any small circular object that resembled a cricket ball, in your head you were immediately Ntini, while charging in ferociously to bowl against your friend as if you were going in to claim your tenth scalp at Lords. That alone, depicted what Ntini meant to a generation that saw him as their sole representive at the very top of the game. The one example that it was possible, the one black player that was good enough to mix it up with “the big boys” but was he really the only one though?…
Enter Tulani Ngxoweni, who was there to feature in almost every age group national team photo Ntini took, except the one that really matters, yep! The Proteas one. Now, taking absolutely nothing away from Ntini and the legendary status which he went on to acquire, but when you look at Ngxoweni’s accolades, which include becoming the first bowling all-rounder to top the bowling charts at the Nuffield Cricket Week (Now Coke Week), before Ntini even partook in the tournament, he would then go on to make the SA Schools team at the age of 16, going on to represent the side for three consecutive years from 1994-1996. Before graduating to becoming a mainstay of the u/19 side.
That then begs the question, what determines which players of colour get to make it through the system over others? In fact, perhaps the biggest question of all should be, why did players of colour have to make it through the system at the expense of another? If Ntini, a lethal seamer, could combine with devastating effect with Ngxoweni, a lethal left arm leg spinner at both junior provincial and international level, why could they not progress as a duo into the professional ranks?
The more you read Ngxoweni’s story, one filled with examples of breaking barriers and stereotypes-the more perplexing his professional cricket snubbing becomes. Born in Butteworth, Eastern Cape Ngxoweni’s cricket career began when he moved to Mdantsane where he initially schooled in 1990. But soon after had to press pause on it as he recalls: “I broke my arm while I was there and soon moved to Zwelitsha where there were cricket nets not so far from where I lived around Zone 4 or 5” he said. That particular period in his childhood is what would prove the catalyst to unearthing his incredible ability in the sport, meeting some would be prominent faces in the process. “That’s when I started playing cricket with Malibongwe Maketa, before we moved to a development program for black cricketers in Bhisho”.
Now, notwithstanding all of Ngxoweni’s above mentioned achievements so far, arguably the most impressive would be him making the SA U/15 cricket side, while still at Hector Peterson High School in Zwelitsha, a feat almost unheard of, as even in modern day South Africa it is almost impossible for a kid to go all the way, without first attending a school of certain stature as well as resources. The impressive nature of that feat is then amplified by the fact that he was a year younger than most of his competition and eventually, peers.
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, as they earned him the opportunity to develop and have his skills honed at a school that fits the above description. “After playing for the SA U/15’s against a touring England side, I was discovered by Raymond Booi and Greg Hayes”. He recalls having to make some tough choices afterwards. “At the time SA Cricket was giving out bursaries to development players, I then had a choice of attending either Queens College, Dale College as well as Selborne College. Most of my teammates opted for Dale and Queens, so I chose Selborne”. A move that was facilitated through being the recipient of the TV1 Topsport Junior award.
Upon his arrival at Selborne, he admits that the reputation that preceded him aided in him being smoothly integrated straight into their cricketing system. “I had already played SA U/15, so when I got there I played u15A’s.” and it would only get better for him in the Black and White colours of the prestigious East London-based all boys school. “I mean, I was performing every other weekend, so at 16 I went straight to the first team. I played with Mark Boucher in my maiden year of first team cricket and went on to make Border schools U/19.” He then remembers setting the big stage alight, against opposition as much as three years older than him, claiming a maiden SA Schools selection in the process. “When we got to Nuffield Week, I took the most wickets at the tournament, I then subsequently made SA Schools straight after” he said fondly.
With all of these incredible accolades and landmarks Ngxoweni had managed to achieve at this point. One might forget to stop and understand as well appreciate that he was a pioneer for his people, and with every new achievement, a better pathway was being opened and left for future black players from township schools, as well as those who would later take up the sport at Selborne.
Entering such a massive unknown before democracy must have been a daunting step for him, but somebody had to be the first to take those frightening steps, which, fortunately for him, ended in massive success and recognition at all levels. “There wasn’t really any discrimination towards me at the school to be honest, and maybe my cricket helped with that” he admits. “I was the only black player playing cricket at the school at the time, before another who was about two grades below me later took up the sport. I then got my honours blazer as soon as I turned senior (17)”. Ngxoweni recalls.
Ngxoweni reveals another aspect that made his game look so polished at schoolboy level, one that ensured that he was constantly a cut above his age group and sometimes even his seniors. “We used to play club cricket every weekend on Sunday, we even had Ottis Gibson, the former Proteas coach playing for us when he was Border Cricket’s overseas professional, and we even won the league a couple of times, so the talent from my side was there and I was performing at every level”
Usually in a well-oiled organization there is a program or system that is designated to ensuring that the most promising prospects of that organization have a clear pathway to its top and are well nurtured and taken care of, en-route. So when Ngxoweni entered that “system” after school, with all his schoolboy accolades you would think he would’ve topped their priority list, and so did he. “I would’ve expected, without sounding arrogant, to go to the now SA Cricket High Performance Centre, where once you spend a year there you then turn professional”. But instead, Ngxoweni found his career progress blocked by the same people who were supposed to create a pathway to him fulfilling his obvious potential.
“Because Eastern Province Cricket was breeding a lot of black players, Border and E.P didn’t want to let go of their development players, as there was a mandate for all provinces to produce these cricketers, this is what Dr Ali Bacher wanted”. He clarified. “So when I left school, they gave me a contract of R500 a month!” he exclaims. “ On top of that, they didn’t even send me to the National Academy, so I’m just there thinking to myself, “what the hell is going on here” so I ended up staying at the Border academy for six months, before I was out for another six months for health reasons” he recalls. Then driven by his aspirations, Ngxoweni decided he wouldn’t stick around and waste a season injured doing nothing, so he went up to Johannesburg to study, in the hope of also catching the eye of Gauteng Cricket, a bigger province renowned at the time for offering bigger money.
This came after Ngxoweni had made a startling revelation that some of his former Border schools peers were getting paid much more in the north of the country. “They were getting like R6/7 000 a month which was a lot of money in the late 90’s, while I was stuck on a mere R500 contract!” He exclaimed. That then prompted him to head to the CSA offices, in an effort to take charge of his career. “I spoke to the late Mr Khaya Majola, and he got me a bursary to Wits Tech the same day, where I also played for their side”. He would then quickly be snapped up by Wanderers Club who possessed the likes of former England international Michael Lamb as well as New Zealand’s Grant Elliot. He played just two games for them, however, and claimed two five wicket hauls, just as a “thank you and goodbye” gesture that they could remember him by, as Gauteng drafted him into their B-side upon noticing his presence in the province.
That then, caused a bit of a rift as Border cricket also found out that one of their most promising development players had secretly jumped ship. Then enters, Richard Pybus, a man who Ngxoweni’s career single handedly lied in the hands of, at a delicate make or break stage of it, he would prove to have the major say. “When Pybus came back from coaching Pakistan and returned to Border he called me and asked me to come back to Border with the promise of a contract” Ngxoweni remembers. But what ensued after, seemed to prove to be the complete opposite of what the conversation on the phone had promised.
“When I got there I was not even partaking in the intra-squad games or trials, I had no contract offers. Then in the off season, I played a couple of games for the B-side but by then, I was already demotivated”. The grim writing seemed to be on the wall for Ngxoweni, but before calling it quits, he decided to jet off to England in a last ditch effort to prove Border was making a mistake. He had hopes that, by the time the season ended in England, it would spell good news waiting for him on home shores, but it was sadly not to be the case, as instead it proved to be the beginning of the end. “I then saw the squad announced and saw I didn’t get a contract so I decided to stay in England. I could probably make more money as a Barman, while trying to pursue my career this side”
And just like that, a career with so much potential and glittering promise came to an abrupt end before it could even be a career, In fact. On reflection one can’t help but pinpoint that moment where Ngxoweni was starting to infiltrate the Gauteng Cricket system, before that marketing call from Pybus. Marketing call? Well yes…because in essence it proved to be just a call selling Ngxoweni dreams at the crucial moment of his fledging career. Does he feel that was the turning point? “With Pybus, yeah. I also kind of feel that he started buying into the system, especially at Border because I have always believed its one of the most racist franchises in the country, I’ll give you another example, the same year I was supposed to play SA U/19 I missed a practice, and I didn’t have a phone then. Then Border took some kid, he started bowling leggies in the nets and they started thinking they found the next Shane Warne”. an animated Ngxoweni said before chuckling. “I think they even went as far as sending him to the National Academy if I’m not mistaken”. He continued.
Ngxoweni then starts to pinpoint exact moments he felt lead to his early demise. “I remember being dropped before we went to play a game in Kimberley now that was turning point number one” he states. “but the biggest one was when it came to the business end, a lot of things suddenly happened to a lot of talented kids, because how do they pick who will and will not get contracts?” he asked passionately. “And also, just to be left out in the wild that way, I then realized it was over for me, I couldn’t go back to South Africa just to be sidelined, I had focused so much on my cricket that my studies took a knock and cricket was literally the only thing I knew”. He said.
Ngxoweni then reflects on what could’ve been for him had that fateful call, came to fruition, “Pybus had this idea of reassembling his Border U/19 team which included Boucher, Justin Kemp, Ntini, myself and a whole lot of other quality players” (goes on to list a few). He then feels, again maybe Pybus was not the one fully responsible for his demise and didn’t purposely sell him a contract dream. “But now, who says what in the hierarchy of Border? Some of the kids that got given contracts, their dads were part of the hierarchy, they got the opportunity and we didn’t! He exclaims passionately. “At the same time it was all done behind closed doors, and that’s when, I really got to a point where I said I can’t do this anymore, it’s a toxic situation so I am walking away from Cricket South Africa, because at that stage I was already 22-23 and hadn’t even played a first class game” he said.
Quizzed on my why he returned from Gauteng at a time where things were looking up for him, to a Border side he had grievances with previously he said: “I really wanted to play for Border, because that’s where I came from and that’s all I knew really. Yes I went away to Gauteng but I returned when they wanted me back, because I wanted to give back and say thank you to them for changing my life with all their support from my school days”.
Speaking of school days, that topic opens up a path of high emotions from Ngxoweni as he answered a question centered around watching on as his former schoolboy teammates went on to have illustrious international careers. “Players like Boucher and Ntini got fast forwarded to the Proteas and that’s because they deserved to be” he emphasized. “Just look at Makhaya, a legend of the game, even though they stopped him from being an even bigger legend by preventing him from joining the 400 wickets club. But yes watching them on TV hurt a lot” he admits.
He then goes on to speak about other peers such as Ashwell Prince and Boeta Dipenaar getting their opportunities too and then his good friend Freddy Flintoff who he played against at both u15 and u19 level strutting his stuff in an England jersey contributing to the sorrow his “what could’ve been” thoughts bring to him. He then goes on to open up and gives a passionate account of how personal the situation is to him, “You know, that’s why I have never said a thing about my cricket career. When people asked me why I stopped I always just dismiss it as politics. It really hurt and I decided to stay in England because what was I going to return to in South Africa if I can’t play the sport I love?” he asked rhetorically.
He then gives his views on the quota system, questioning how it is actually being used at times. “For me here is where it hurts the most, with the quota system that is put in place a lot of black players get pushed through when they are not ready or not quite good enough. That then gives the narrative that black players aren’t good enough. This is the main part of this story. Before us the was an older generation of talented black cricketers in there country, the likes of Geoffrey Toyana, who came before the u19 system, but people still want to say our national team is not a true reflection of our country’s demographics because black players aren’t good enough?.”.
He then goes on to clarify that seeing Ntini becoming successful is not the source of his hurt, but rather the narrative his sole success breeds to the younger generations hopes and dreams of emulating him. “That’s when it hurts even more for me to see Makhaya there because there could have been more of us there!” He exclaimed. “Given the opportunity then that would’ve inspired more black kids younger than us in the country, like the likes of Monde Zondeki”.
Ngxoweni closes off part one of this story by speaking about the lottery of which players being pushed through as another confusing factor that makes it harder for his wounds to heal. “A player like Zondeki was also fast tracked for example and that’s where I get confused and ask, why do certain players get fast tracked and others not? Like myself in this instance. It is still such a touchy subject for me and that’s why I speak so passionately about it” he concludes.
*In part two Ngxoweni explains, through his more detailed experiences of the past, what CSA should do to resolve certain issues, the current climate of players of colour development and its future, advice to the new generation, an interesting encounter with Maketa. He also then speaks about where he has been all these years, revealing an interesting alternative career he now enjoys, as well as his plans for the future. You don’t want to miss out!
