Former South African cricketer Makhaya Ntini officially launched the Makhaya Ntini Academy in Mdantsane, just outside East London earlier this week.
Ntini, who made his debut for the Proteas in 1997, is hopeful that the Academy will play a role in discovering talent throughout the province.
The Mdingi Express will kick-start the project by running cricket clinics every second Friday and he believes this will allow him to unearth rough diamonds for the Academy, which will be based at Winter Rose Sports Centre.
“As a person who played cricket for this country for a long time, it has been my dream that one day I will have a school of excellence I can call my own, and this is the beginning of that,” he told Sapa.
“I will be going to schools where I will choose the talent we know is there, but needs someone to go and look for it and I will be the one who does that.
“There is a wealth of talent in this country, especially in the Eastern Cape. We are going back to the old ways of finding cricketers – going to the schools and finding the talent that is there.
“That is how I was found and I will be doing the same.”
Apart from the cricket, the Academy will also promote education, fitness training, diet-planning and life skills. Psychological assessments and counselling will also feature and Ntini will arrange bursaries and scholarships for the youngsters.
Ntini played in 101 Tests and is the bowler with the second-most Test wickets for South Africa, having captured 390, with Shaun Pollock on 421, just ahead of him.
The first Fun Friday will take place today, 1 August.
