HAVING missed last month’s T20 series in the Caribbean due to a calf injury, Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is fit and ready to lead the bowling attack in Sharjah.
Conquering Injuries as a Professional Player
Injuries have kept one of the most promising Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi on the sidelines in the recent past so much that it has been hard for him to make a case for a permanent spot in the side again.
As a result, the 28-year-old missed out on South Africa’s 15-man squad for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup as he only travelled as a reserve.
He has also not looked entirely at his best and certainly has not been quite the genuine wicket-taker that world cricket has known him to be since breaking onto the international scene, especially in the Test format.
While he sat on the sideline, younger fast bowlers have come up the ranks and put their names up for selection as permanent members of the team.
Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger and Ottneil Baartman have been some of the names that have risen to the occasion while Ngidi was nursing and recovering from injuries, and it is them that have somewhat over-shadowed Ngidi across the different formats.
However, going into the three-match One Day International series against Afghanistan in the UAE, Ngidi now has an opportunity to not only return to play having missed last month’s T20 series in the Caribbean due to a calf injury, but also to get back to leading the bowling attack, the role that he has played since making his debut in 2017.
As frustrating as the world would expect Ngidi to be considering the stops and starts that he has had to endure due to injury in recent years, the 28-year-old says he has learnt to deal with them.
Moreover, the right-arm fast bowler emphasised that at the end of the day, the Proteas is not a Ngidi show nor is it any individual’s show.
Instead, Ngidi embraces that injuries are part and parcel of a fast bowler’s life.
“To be honest, it doesn’t affect me as much as it used to. Probably everyone thinks that it affects you so badly that you’re upset or you’re in a bad mood, things like that,” Ngidi told SportsBoom.com, ahead of the first ODI in Sharjah.
“I’ve been playing for a while now. To be honest it’s about taking it one day at a time. Injuries happen, it probably won’t be my last one as well, so you take it in your stride.”
“It is unfortunate sometimes with the timing, but I got injured, someone else was given an opportunity, we were able to see what South African cricket has to produce. It’s not all about me.”
“At the end of the day, if I’m not ready to play then I’m not ready to play and as soon I am the coaches give the go-ahead and here I am. It doesn’t affect me as badly as people would think,” he added.
Leading a Young, Exciting Proteas ODI Team
With 56 ODIs under the belt, Ngidi is one of the senior players within the squad and will be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the bowling attack.
The 28-year-old will set the tone for the attack and look to lead from the front while the less experienced bowlers will bowl around him while they look to find their feet in the ODI format.
Ngidi says there is a lot of excitement and anticipation within the camp in Sharjah because of the inexperienced players who are looking to make a name for themselves in the upcoming tour.
“We obviously have a lot of younger guys in, a couple of guys who have been in and out (of the team) so the excitement is always there to play for South Africa,” said Ngidi.
“We haven’t played ODI cricket since the World Cup so it’s not just myself it’s everyone included. The guys will be trying to get back to their best in terms of this format. It is one of our best formats as well so there’s a lot of excitement around the camp,” he added.
South Africa ODI squad against Afghanistan
Temba Bavuma (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne and Lizaad Williams. – SportsBoom
