Lungi Ngidi opines on the fast bowling strength of South African team

The South African bowling has been on a rising trajectory, with the increase in the number of quality bowlers in the country.

The likes of Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje are already the key front-line pacers of the team. They also have a potent left-arm seamer in Marco Jansen who has made a strong start to his international career.

Pace bowling all-rounders like Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo have been impressive in the recent series and they form a formidable core that represents the Rainbow Nation.

Recently, Lungi Ngidi opened up on the current batch of the fast bowlers in the country. He reckoned that it is vital to perform well in every match, as another player is ready to replace you in the XI. 

“We are competing and you need to perform pretty much every game too. There is a guy waiting at the door and the minute you slip up he is ready to take your spot. We keep on competing and you should see how hectic it gets at training, especially when we know that selection is getting closer and closer,” Ngidi said.

The 26-year-old thinks all the bowlers are putting their best foot forward, which is reflected on the team’s results. The team has featured in 3 Test series this year, and have beaten India and Bangladesh on home soil, and drew the away series against New Zealand. 

“All of a sudden you see guys bowling faster and faster and really putting their best forward. It is always great for our cricket to see competition among the guys and it is showing in the results,” Ngidi added. 

The Durban-born pacer thanked the head coach Mark Boucher for giving him the opportunity to feature against the Indian team earlier this year. In the series, Ngidi picked up a total of 15 wickets in 3 matches and was one of the star performer in the series.

“If I can look back to that first Test match against India, I think coach Mark Boucher showed a lot of confidence in me by playing me with everyone knowing that I hadn’t played cricket in a long time.

For a coach to have faith in you like that and for me to be able to produce the results is exactly what I needed. If I hadn’t played well in that game, I could easily have been replaced in the next Test,” he concluded.

In a total of 13 appearances in the Test format, Ngidi has scalped 47 wickets at an average of 20.65 since 2018. Currently, he is a part of the Delhi Capitals team in the Indian Premier League 2022.