Wisden overview
Following the rise of Paul Adams and Makhaya Ntini, Mfuneko Ngam is the real fairytale story. The profile of non-white cricket in South Africa was helped immeasurably by scholarships offered to traditional white schools, but Ngam simply wasn't discovered in time for that. Hours and hours of bowling at a single stump, by himself, from sunrise to sunset, formed the foundations of Ngam's rise although he has also paid a price, suffering two shoulder operations and three stress fractures. As heir-apparent to "White Lightning" Allan Donald, the nickname "Black Thunder" was an obvious appendage. Less obvious is his extraordinary humility and desire to remain true to his roots, pointedly refusing a cellphone after breaking into the national team and preferring to travel by minibus from his township home rather than learn to drive and accept the sponsored car offered him. He has to prove himself all over again after injury, but his debut season was not hype. He was very fast indeed. Neil Manthorp

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