Sat, Nov 06 10 03:58 PM
Johannesburg, Nov 6 (PTI) South African cricketer Makhaya Ntini played the race card when things did not go his way, disclosed former team coach Mickey Arthur in his to be released book. Ntini, hailed as the country''s greatest black cricketer, alleged racism by captain Graeme Smith and Arthur when he was dropped from the squad due to bad form, wrote Arthur in his book ''Taking the Mickey'', to be released on Monday. It comes just a week after the controversial autobiography of former South African star opener Herschelle Gibbs, in which he caused a stir with claims of sex orgies, drinking binges and drug-taking by South African team members. "Sadly, when (Ntini) finally lost form, and was left out on form (or the lack of it), he was quick to change his tune," Arthur says in an extract of the book published in the daily Saturday Star ahead of its release. "That was when I lost a bit of respect for Makhaya, and saw a side of him I never suspected existed. Everybody, especially senior players, is upset when they are dropped, but I was desperately disappointed when Makhaya started telling influential administrators that (captain) Graeme Smith and I didn''t want black players in the team. "I refused to believe what I was told, and dismissed it as vicious rumour-mongering." However Arthur added that he was in for a big shock when Doc Nyoka (president of Cricket South Africa and Ray Mali (former CSA president) invited him to a breakfast meeting with Ntini after the series against Bangladesh. The former coach also said that he could sympathise with the concerns of the two top administrators as they related how they were under pressure from government for there being no black player in the side. .
Source: Published>
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