Five Firsts

Boot camp

Bullying batsmen, going to an all-white college, and the case for a higher batting positions

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First pair of cricket boots
They were given to me by Greg Hayes [Border cricket development officer] when I was 15. Before that I had only ever bowled in sneakers. When I put my new boots on, they were so uncomfortable that I couldn't enjoy them at all, but after a while I got used to it and started to understand the advantages, such as the balance they gave me when I bowled.

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First day in college
My first day at Dale College [prestigious cricketing school in East London] was very awkward. I couldn't speak English properly, and I wasn't sure what to say because I was scared it would be the wrong thing. Some of the kids were scared of me and some tried to bully me, but I made sure they understood that just because it was a mostly white school and I was black, it didn't mean I could be pushed around.

First five-for
It was when I was about 14 years old, playing a social game. The statistics of those matches were never recorded, but I remember it well because it was something I used to brag about to other kids.

First batsman to go after me
The first batsman to take me apart was when I went on a school tour to Australia. I don't remember who it was, but I know that I didn't mind too much if he hit me all over the park because I knew when I was batting and he was bowling, I would do the same thing.

First memorable batting experience
The first time I batted higher up the order was also on that Australian schoolboy tour. I batted at No. 4 and scored a hundred. I always used to tell Graeme Smith about that innings of mine, to try and persuade him to put me higher up the order.

Gregory HayesMakhaya NtiniSouth Africa

As told to Firdose Moonda, a freelance writer based in Johannesburg