Kids of great cricketers are always under the scanner whether it’s Austin Waugh, Arjun Tendulkar or Thando Ntini. There is a lot expected of these next generation of cricketers and they have been under scrutiny right from the start of the career. Former South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini’s son Thando took four wickets against England Under-19 team on July 23 — a match-winning bowling performance.
England needed 230 to win the match. Thando took a wicket off his first ball of the innings, removing the opener Ben Charlesworth. After taking quick wickets in the powerplay overs, Oliver Robinson tried to revive the England innings. Robinson scored 54 from 74 balls before the 18-year-old took his wicket and ended England’s hopes of winning the match.
Then, Thando took two more wickets and helped to mop up the tail quickly. As a result, England were bundled out for 150 and lost the match by 79 runs. Thando ended the match with bowling figures of four wickets for 19 runs in 8 overs, including a maiden.
8 – 1 – 19 – 4
Looking at those bowling figures, he’s definitely earned the Man of the Match accolade, as Thando Ntini inspired the SA under-19s to a 79-run victory in the first Youth ODI against England at the Riverside Stadium
Take a bow, son! #FutureStars #ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/Cn8PRSNN72
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) July 23, 2018
Thando shared a crucial 32-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Curtis Campher. He scored 12 runs from 24 balls. After his four-wicket haul, Ntini Jr did well in the Youth Test against England as well. He picked up two wickets in each innings.
Recently, Arjun made his Under-19 international debut against Sri Lanka in Youth Test. He picked up one wicket in both the innings and got out for a duck. Tendulkar Jr faced criticism for his batting despite him being a fast bowler.
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Earlier this year, Austin Waugh too faced criticism for ordinary performances in Under-19 World Cup 2018 at home.