2018 Under-19 World Cup: Makhaya Ntini's son Thando wants to be better than him

What's the story?

Former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini's son Thando Ntini, selected in his country's squad for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup, said at the launch of the tournament that he wants to be a better cricketer than his father.

“This World Cup is a massive opportunity to showcase my skills and show people that I can be better than him,” Thando said.

In case you didn't know...

Ntini senior, Makhaya, became his country's first black African international cricketer and had a career spanning 13 years, from 1998 to 2011. In the course of this time period, he finished with 101 Tests – that brought him 390 wickets – and 173 ODIs to go with 10 T20 Internationals.

His son Thando, like him, is a right-arm pacer who, despite not possessing express pace, has the qualities of accuracy and relentlessness to compensate for it.

The heart of the matter

Thando, 17, went on to say that he was keen on establishing his own identity rather than be known as his father's son.

“I have been trying to forge my own identity and make sure people know me for being myself, not being known as Makhaya’s son but being known as Thando Ntini."

What's next?

The 12th edition of the Under-19 World Cup begins on January 13 with New Zealand hosting it for a record third time. South Africa, led by batsman Raynard van Tonder, have been grouped alongside defending champions West Indies, hosts New Zealand and Kenya. Their first match will be against Kenya on January 14 at Lincoln.

Author's Take

It is heartening to hear from a young cricketer like him of his ambitions to make it big on his own instead of depending on his father's stature to make a name for himself. And with Thando possessing similar skills as Makhaya Ntini, there are high expectations from junior Ntini to perform well early in his career.