JOHANNESBURG: Former South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini has lavished praise on Temba Bavuma after he became the first black African batsman to score a century for his side, saying that he has opened the door for rest of black batsmen.
Nitni revealed there was a philosophy that black cricketers could only be bowlers and not good batsmen, insisting that Bavuma’s brilliant knock would have been a great reply to the critics.
The 38-year-old, who was the first black African to play Test cricket for South Africa, said that Bavuma’s performance had shown that black cricketers have the capability to play the game at their highest level, Sport24 reported.
Bavuma, who is by far the shortest batsman in the line-up, standing 162cm tall, used mere 141 balls laced with 16 boundaries to reach the three-figure mark on the fourth day of the second Test against England.
Bavuma made an unbeaten 102 in the first innings during the fourth Test against England that ended in a draw.
South Africa are currently trailing 0-1 in the four-match series following their humiliating 241-run defeat in the opening Test in Durban. The two sides will now play their third Test in Johannesburg, starting from January 14.