SOUTH African cricket took a significant step forward on Tuesday with the appointment of the first black groundsman at a Test venue. Wilson Ngobese succeeds Phil Russell as groundsman at Kingsmead in Durban, the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union said. Russell becomes Natal’s new director of cricket. Ngobese joined the Kingsmead ground staff as a 15-year-old in 1975 and has worked under Russell for the past five years. United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) managing director Ali Bacher congratulated Natal on their “courage and good sense” in appointing Ngobese. Bacher said the UCB “wanted the transformation process in South African cricket to take effect among scorers, umpires, selectors, ground staff, coaches and in the media”.