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Ntini convicted for rape, dumped from squad

South African cricketer Makhaya Ntini, a fast bowler who made history when he became the first black to play for the national side, was convicted of rape.

Ntini, 22, broke down and wept after the sentence was pronounced and had to be helped from the courtroom, SAPA news agency said.

Ntini was found guilty of raping a 21-year-old student in December at the Buffalo Park cricket ground in East London after giving her a ride in his car. He maintained his innocence and received the full backing of the South African cricket board during the trial.

Ntini had earlier been named in thee 15-man South African squad for the World Cup. He has, since his conviction, been replaced by Alan Dawson.

Ntini debuted as a provincial player when he represented Border against England in the 1995-'96 season. He was chosen to play for the South African A team and replaced injured Boland player Roger Telemachus when South Africa toured Australia more than a year ago.

Ntini also was part of Shaun Pollock's gold-medal winning team at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia in September.

Cricket has traditionally been dominated by whites in South Africa. Government sports officials have been pushing for the sport to integrate more rapidly.

A sentencing date was not immediately set.