Johannesburg: Former South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini has lavished praise on Temba Bavuma after he became the first black African batsman to score a century for his side, saying that he has opened the door for rest of black batsmen.

Nitni revealed there was a philosophy that black cricketers could only be bowlers and not good batsmen, insisting that Bavuma's brilliant knock would have been a great reply to the critics.