Ntini wants winning mentality in Zim players

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Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) officially unveiled newly appointed assistant national team coach Makhaya Ntini at a press briefing held at Bulawayo's Queens Sports Club.

The former South African Test cricketer was recently added to the Zimbabwe technical team as a specialist bowling coach on a two-year contract and is expected to start his new job next Tuesday.

Presenting the 38-year-old to the media, ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said the engagement of Ntini was part of his board's broader efforts to nurture the country's talent and establish competitive national sides.

Mukuhlani said: "We are, as you are aware, also working on improving many other areas including our first-class cricket and development structures.

"As Makhaya joins our technical team, led by veteran head coach Dav Whatmore, we are proud to highlight the fact that the incredible Mdingi Express shares quite a lot of attributes with us: hard work, the quest for perfection and the nothing-is-impossible spirit."

Ntini said he was pleased to get the opportunity to help develop talent and contribute to making Zimbabwe a competitive side.

A former right-arm fast bower, Ntini had an illustrious playing career for South Africa, rising from being a product of the then United Cricket Board's development programme to becoming the country's first black African international cricketer.

In 2003, he became the first South African to take 10 wickets in a Test match at the hallowed Lord's ground in England. In 2008, he claimed 13 wickets for 132 runs in Test match against the West Indies – the best figures ever by a South African in that format of the game.

Ntini retired from international cricket in 2010, after playing 101 Test matches, 173 ODIs and 10 T20Is matches for the Proteas.

He said: "Playing international and playing for your provincial (side) is not just milking the cow, you need to make sure you feed the cow for the cow to produce the milk. That's one of the things that I think I will really powerfully drive in Zimbabwe.

"I played 13 years of international (cricket), never had any sponsor to pay extra to my salary, so the only thing was for me to ensure every single game played, I win it all the time.

"If we can insist on that and inject that in Zimbabwe cricketers, then we will see a massive change, not just for the union, but for themselves as well."

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