What happened to ex-Proteas fast bowler Nantie Hayward
Former Proteas fast bowler Nantie Hayward shocked the world with his explosive pace in the 90s but quickly fizzled out.
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Former Proteas fast bowler Nantie Hayward might be remembered not only for his unpredictable raw pace but also for his ginger hair.
The Eastern Cape-born former cricket broke into the cricket scene in 1998 and was seen as Allan Donald’s successor but quickly fizzled out. He only played 16 Tests and 21 ODIs for the national team between 1998 and 2004. The 47-year-old was devastating in red-ball cricket, taking 54 wickets in just 16 Test matches for the Proteas.
After getting dropped in 2004, Nantie Hayward never really rediscovered his form which saw him force his way into the Proteas lineup. With the emergence of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in the late 2000s, Nantie was unable to claw his way back into the national team.
Before getting into professional cricket, the former fast bowler was a baseball. He quickly switched to cricket in the mid-90s and fast-tracked into the system very fast. After getting dropped by the Proteas, Nantie Hayward, mostly played his cricket in England before he retired from the game in 2012.
After quitting the game, the ex-Proteas star delved into the tyre business for a few years, According to Highway Mail publication. But soon he realised that he still loved cricket and coaching became his new calling.
Nantie Hayward coaching in Durban
“I have been in coaching for a long time, after my playing career,” Hayward told Highway Mail. The ex-Proteas man has been coaching for the past 12 years having moved back to South Africa.
“I had a stint with Northwest Cricket as an amateur coach for two years. I thought that it would be better to do freelance stuff, and not be connected to one provincial set-up.
Ex-Proteas fast bowler based in Durban
“I moved back to the Eastern Cape for a long time and worked with a few young boys, some of whom played the Under-19 World Cup.”
He has been based in Durban for the last three and a half years. “I do a lot of work with bowlers all over South Africa,” he said.
Nantie Hayward works as the director of Cricket at Northwood School where he moulds young cricketing talent to help them reach their full potential.