Port Elizabeth – Former Proteas fast bowler Makhaya Ntini says he is not considering retirement, despite being a notable omission when the Warriors named their contracted cricket squad for the 2013/14 season this week.
Ntini, who spent 18 years playing for Border and the Warriors, was not offered a contract for the new season along with fellow senior players Arno Jacobs, Justin Kreusch and Lyall Meyer.
“I still have many years left in me. There's so much I can still offer to cricket. This is life, man,” said the 35-year-old former cattle herder.
“You cannot say that something like this can never happen to you. It's how you handle it like a man.
“It can either open up doors somewhere or it can break you. It's how you take it.”
Ntini made his debut for Border in the 1995/96 domestic season and went on to represent South Africa in 101 Tests, the last against England in Durban in 2009.
He took 390 Test wickets at an average of 28.82. He also collected 266 ODI scalps.
In 2003, he became the first South African to take 10 wickets in a Test at Lord's. Five years later he claimed the best Test match figures by a South African of 13 for 132 against the West Indies.
The South African icon played his last first-class match for the Warriors in 2010 but remained a member of the shorter-version squads until last season. He played his final game for the franchise against the Dolphins in the Momentum One-Day Cup in December.
Warriors chief executive Dave Emslie explained the decision to cut Ntini and other senior players.
“There comes a time in a player's career where he needs to make an important decision in his life,” said Emslie.
“The temptation is to let players play for too long. It stunts the growth of your other players. In the case of those guys, it was that.
“They had been in the system for a long time. There probably was not much growth left in them.
“In order to make sure that the pipeline is fluid, we had to make way for (other) players.”
Emslie said management had engaged Ntini thoroughly before making the decision.
“We've chatted to Makhaya at length and he really put the ball in the selectors' court and said to them they must do whatever they have to, to run the franchise. I think he has a role to play in cricket.
“He has a feel for coaching, bringing young players through. I hope that's the area where we can use him locally and nationally to make sure the Makhaya icon and image has a useful life after cricket.” – Sapa