Ntini, the sevens rugby manager

Former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini could soon be wearing several hats. ESPNcricinfo reported that he was in line to become a national cricket selector, but Ntini has already been named manager of a sevens rugby side. South Africa's best-supported football club, Kaizer Chiefs, has decided to branch out and will field a sevens team at a glamorous tournament in George, in the Western Cape, next week.

The competition, called 7sPL, is modelled on the IPL with the winners pocketing R1 million (US$117,647). It will feature the country's provincial sevens sides as well as privately-owned teams, such as the Chiefs outfit. Their players include former Springbok wings Breyton Paulse and Jongi Nokwe and Ntini's schoolfriend Gcobani Bobo, who is a midfielder.

"We all know Chiefs as a famous soccer team, but when I heard about them wanting to diversify and become involved in another great South African sporting code, I became excited about the possibilities it can bring," Ntini said. The two-day tournament is Ntini's first venture into administration and the funds could be used to get his dream of an academy in the Mdantsane township off the ground.