On the eve of the semifinal against India in the 2002 Champions Trophy, a girl phoned Makhaya Ntini and asked: "What will you pay for a night with me?" Hopeful of an extra 'spell', Ntini queried, "Why do I need to pay?" In came the reply, "Use your imagination." Their conversation continued, but the night did not materialize as Ntini was unwilling to pay for sex. Eventually, it turned out that the girl was a journalist of the Colombo-based English weekly, The Sunday Leader.