Nantie Hayward, anything but wayward

After doing serious psychological damage in the tour opener, Nantie Hayward was left out of the side to play the first Test at Mumbai. The Proteas speedster made his mark in convincing fashion, bowling with genuine pace in the match against the Board President's XI. Both Nayan Mongia and Mohammed Azharuddin were on their comeback trails and he managed to rough them up with well directed bouncers of genuine pace. So much so that Azhar had to miss the first. Picking up five wickets in an innings, scribes from all sections of the media were convinced that it would be a big mistake if the South Africans left out Hayward for the first Test. In the end it turned out to be irrelevant as the South Africans won the match with two days to spare.

However, Hayward has made his mark in the second Test already, and will probably have a significant role to play in the second innings. When asked about the ball he bowled to dismiss Tendulkar, Hayward said "I did not expect a player of Tendulkar's calibre to play a shot like that. It sure came as a surprise."

This given the fact that Tendulkar had just gone after the young man and smacked him away to the fence with contempt. That hook shot impressed Hayward. "Yes, that was a splendid shot. I decided to concentrate on a good line and length after that." This is the kind of attitude that makes Hayward a successful bowler. Apart from having blistering pace, Hayward is more than willing to just plug away accurately when the situation demands it.