Publications
Partners
Lungi Ngidi completed his 2km run around the ground, then stretched, chatted a bit to the support staff and his lanky 22-year-old frame strolled up the Wanderers stairs to have a chat to the media.
Fit as a fiddle and as calm as a Bach string concerto, Ngidi is part of an orchestra that when on song can create chaos – delightful for the audience but like nails on a chalkboard for opponents.
Yet where he fits in to all of this is a little unclear at the moment.
“It’s still a bit difficult to say where exactly I fit in, but whenever called upon, you know there’s a job to do so I just do it as best as I can.”
Ngidi knows he fits into the ensemble of bowlers, more specifically the quartet of premier fast bowlers, that the Proteas possess. What he would like to know is what role he will play in that quartet.
“We still have guys like Dale [Steyn], Vern [Vernon Philander] and KG [Kagiso Rabada] so I’m also just trying to add to the pack and strengthen the group,” Ngidi says with a mellow touch of humility.
Morne Morkel retired at the end of the “dramatic” Australia tour leaving the trio and rookie to navigate the changing pitch and lengths of world cricket, with the orchestra’s luthier Mohammed Moosajee confirming that Steyn is “bowling almost at full pace” and will ply his trade in England for Hampshire in the coming weeks.
“If he comes through that, he’ll probably be in the Sri Lanka squad,” Moosajee ventured.
Philander has led the quartet in the symphony of Tests and is expected to do so in the subcontinent. With no injuries to speak of and his movement and scores consistently deadly, he will be expected to lead from the front once more.
That leaves the number one ranked bowler. In the last eight weeks the pacesetter had to be content with twiddling his thumbs due to a lower back injury. But with him flexing his muscles this week, albeit in a “light” way, Rabada will be itching to get back to the theatre – and according to the man who makes those decisions “he’s progressing on schedule and is available for the Sri Lanka tour”.
Adding to Ngidi’s lack of direction is that composer Ottis Gibson plans to add a second spinner to the tour for extra movement.
READ: Sri Lanka and the second spin option
Keshav Maharaj is a shoo-in for the main role and was part of a South African spin camp that went to India in the past month. But as Gibson mentioned there is the likes of Tabraiz Shamsi and Shaun von Berg who both impressed at the camp. Does he go with an original piece or does he keep the same score?
Whatever happens beyond his control Ngidi knows what he wants and is prepared to give it his all to get there. With a tenacious look in his eyes the young bowler says that his dream is to lead the opening act and take the new ball.
“You want to take the new ball for your country, so I’m just trying to perform where I’m playing as best as I can and put myself in the best position to get selected. It’s a big responsibility but it’s part of the game and it’s something I’ve always wanted. I am going to keep working towards that.”
The practice towards that goal started in this year’s IPL when, in his debut season, Ngidi was given the new ball to play with and, to the melodious delight and symphonic rapture of the Chennai Super Kings faithful, he delivered 4/10 in the last game of the season, picked up a man-of-the-match award and secured a place in the play-offs and the final, which they eventually won. Must have been quite nerve-wrecking for a youngster who’d just entered the international fray?
“I didn’t let it overwhelm me at the time. You know I hadn’t played much in the first few games, but when you get an opportunity you obviously want to prove yourself and I just made the most of it. The crowds are massive crowds, but I feel like I am lucky that I manage to block that out when I am playing so that doesn’t seem to affect me.”
So much for the euphonic encouragement.
Ngidi again shared the new ball in the final two games and again performed in a leading role. He ended his campaign leading his team’s economy rate, bowling average, best bowling performance and bowling strike-rate. To be fair to his Indian ensemble, he did only play seven times. Yet racking up two out of the five maidens in the team, in a T20 is still quite a feat.
“To have international players back you, and not just your South African cricketers, it really puts me in a good head space. Knowing that someone like [MS] Dhoni trusted me with the new ball, and to get a breakthrough for the team, that stuff gives you confidence.”
That confidence, especially to be able to perform in the subcontinent among such an audience, will stay with him for a while longer.
“I’ve always said that high-pressure situations are where you find out how really good you are as a cricketer, so playing in those situations was pretty exciting,” he was with air authority.
At the end of the day it’s the composer to whose tune he’ll play and for now he seems content with hitting all right notes and playing to the sound of any ensemble he’s part off. But there is no doubt that one day the trumpets will sound and he will be called to lead the orchestra.
