Ntini ran to stadiums from team hotels, because he felt unwelcomed in team bus: Holding

Former West Indies fast bowler and currently a Test commentator, Michael Holding said that he believes that the quota system put in place in selecting players of colour for the South African cricket team is actually working as an unnecessary burden for players. 

To magnify his point, Holding gave the example of South Africa’s most successful cricketer of colour, Makhaya Ntini and how he faced all sorts of differentiations within his team. 

"The quota system - I have heard that used on so many occasions when referring to South African cricketers of colour, that they are only there because the regulations say they have to be there," Holding was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.  

"They are never given full credit for their abilities. When you pick someone just because you think you have to have certain boxes ticked, whether they are good or not. They are carrying an extra burden because there will always be people who say they are only there because regulations say they have to be there,” he added before going on to explain the same with the case of Ntini, whom he spoke with regarding his book ‘Why we kneel how we rise’. 

"From the early stages of his career, he proved his worth and that he belonged there but kept on carrying that burden of being pointed out as being there only because regulations said he should be there,” said the West Indian about Ntini. 

Holding then went on to explain how stories about Ntini running to the ground from the hotel instead of taking a bus are not something to be proud of, rather something that as a society and team South Africans should repent about. Apart from this Holding also opened about many other experiences of South Africa’s third most successful South African Test bowler with 390 wickets, just behind Dale Steyn and Shaun Pollock. 

"We all know the stories of him running to the ground. A lot of people thought it was part of his training regime. When he spoke to me, he explained to me the reason that he ran to the ground and did not take the bus. Because when he went on the bus, he felt as though he did not belong because he was treated as though he did not belong.

"He would go for breakfast in the morning, he would sit at a table and his teammates would come in and sit at another table and leave him by himself at his table. Other teammates would come in and go and join their other teammates and leave him at his table,” said Holding, who himself has on a number of occasions said how he was treated differently during his county cricket days. 

“I played cricket. I know about committees that are formed within teams, I know about senior members within teams. There were committees formed within the team, supposedly senior members of the team to discuss things, and he was never called to be a part of that committee. People who joined the team long after him, automatically became seniors because of the colour of their skin,” Holding further explained before saying that he would like to see people recognise Ntini’s efforts and if not apologise, at least learn from the mistakes they made. 

"I am thankful to him [Ntini] to bear it out and still be so successful. That shows the strength of character of the man. Hopefully, those who did things like that and perhaps did not recognise the hurt and the harm they were doing and the attitude that they had wasn't right, hopefully, they will all learn and recognise their faults and their mistakes and they will be willing to learn and willing to change,” said Holding.