Graeme Smith will never call me for South Africa: Makhaya Ntini

South Africa’s right-arm quick Makhaya Ntini wishes to coach the South Africa cricket team sometime in the future but he is well aware of the fact that the dream is hard to achieve as the former South Africa captain and the director of cricket of Cricket South Africa (CSA) Graeme Smith will never call him up to coach the National team.

Ntini is renowned as the second ethnically black player after Paul Adams to play for the South African national cricket team and featured across all the formats for the Proteas. In his illustrious cricket career that spanned from 1998 to 2009, Makhaya featured in a whopping 101 Test matches for South Africa scalping 390 wickets at an economy of 2.23. The seamer also played 173 One Day Internationals along with 10 T20Is and picked 266 and 6 wickets, respectively at an economy of 4.53 and 9.31.

The 43-year-old has now taken the job of entertaining the fans and cricket viewers with the mic in his hand but is inclined towards the job of a coach. Ntini had started his stint as the coach in the cricket fraternity by striking a two-year deal with the Zimbabwe National cricket team in January 2016.

It’s a pity I was fired for wanting to do things right: Makhaya Ntini

He had essayed the job of an interim coach of Zimbabwe team for the home series against India in 2016 following the sacking of Dav Whatmore. However, Makhaya Ntini was shown the door by the Zimbabwe team management in 2018. According to the seamer, he was sacked by Zimbabwe as the coach for wanting to do the things right.

Speaking about his coaching career, Ntini said that he is still interested in the job of coaching and feels pity for the Zimbabwe team for firing him for doing the right things. The right-arm quick also believes that he will never be called by Graeme Smith for coaching Proteas team as Smith doesn’t like stubborn people like him.

“I’m still interested in coaching. I enjoyed my time with Zimbabwe, it’s a pity I was fired for wanting to do things right. But Graeme Smith will never call me for South Africa. He doesn’t like stubborn people. So, I don’t think I’ll be part of the Proteas coaching staff,” Makhaya Ntini said in an interview with SAFM.