Lungi Ngidi's redemption: How he silenced critics in Proteas' historic victory at Lord's
Lungi Ngidi says that despite the furore that followed after his inclusion in the World Test Championship final against Australia, he backed himself to deliver for his country.
Criticism comes with the territory in sports — especially at the elite level. People will always have an opinion about you, it's unavoidable. One of the hallmarks of a good athlete is taking such jibes in your stride and doing your talking on the field.
That's exactly what Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi did during South Africa's World Test Championship (WTC) fina l five-wicket win over Australia in London. Known for his occasionally unorthodox decisions, South Africa's coach Shukri Conrad backed Ngidi to contribute to the team winning their first piece of international silverware since a Champions Trophy triumph in 1998.
While team leaders such as captain Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada rose to the occasion with the spotlight firmly on them, Ngidi silenced a number of critics with his own sublime display in the final. No one expected the lanky fast bowler to aid South Africa's quest for global Test domination in any way. He was branded a liability.
The critics pointed out that Ngidi had not played Test cricket in nearly a year. Fellow seamer Dane Paterson, on the other hand, was in great form. Recalled to the Test team for the first time in four years in 2024, Paterson was effective — picking up 21 wickets in five matches last year.
As such, many followers of cricket believed the 36-year-old had earned his spot in the final, at the expense of Ngidi. But the Proteas hierarchy preferred Ngidi for this particular assignment, firmly backing him to deliver. Which he did during an inspired second innings in which he claimed three wickets for just 35 runs, in nine overs.
Momentum-shifting spell
He picked up three crucial wickets during his breathless spell — including that of Australian batting lynchpin Steve Smith. Rabada had disrupted the rhythm of Australia with two early wickets in their second innings — removing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green.
That brought Smith to the crease, alongside another threat with the bat — Marnus Labuschagne. Having dismissed South Africa for 138 in defence of their first-innings total of 212, the Australians still held their destiny in their own hands and were looking to build on their 122-run lead.
Then came Ngidi, dismissing Smith for 13 to strike a heavy body blow on the Aussies. He followed up that crucial wicket with those of Beau Webster and Pat Cummins as Australia crumbled to 73 for seven.
It was a defining spell by Ngidi, a moment of redemption after he had provided his critics with ammunition during a poor first innings in which he had been expensive, conceding 45 runs and failing to pick up a wicket during his eight-over shift.
'Focused on myself'
At the team's homecoming press conference in Johannesburg, Ngidi told journalists that despite the noise around his selection and even his forgettable first-innings display, he never doubted his ability to vindicate Conrad and Bavuma for backing him.
'I was told to come on to bowl. Obviously, we knew the situation of the game. Who was at the crease as well, and it probably was the guy who was going to give them the best chance to get a massive lead,' said Ngidi of his blistering second-innings shift.
'I was just trying to get some rhythm. Temba was trying to tell me what balls to bowl, but I told him to just let me bowl. And that was about it,' Ngidi said.
'To me it's always been pretty much the same. What I've tried to do is obviously just block out the noise. There was obviously a lot to be said before the Test series started, but now I haven't heard anything but good things. So, it's funny how that's turned on its head,' the 29-year-old added.
Ngidi's physical fitness had also been questioned in the build-up to the final, with the bowler supposedly looking out of shape. The seamer's career has also been blighted by injury, which has affected his pace.
He says he's learnt to live with this reality. But he was also pleased with himself and his body after bowling nine successive overs at Lord's.
'Fitness is always people's opinions. You don't get put on the field unless the fitness trainer or the coach knows that you're going to be able to do the job. So, it's always a matter of opinion, as most things are when it comes to what the guys are doing on the field,' Ngidi said.
'In that moment, it's just a mental decision of 'I'm going to push through whatever I'm feeling right now or whatever mental block I've got.' So, it's a matter of people's opinions of when people say I look unfit. But if we had to probably run a race with each other, I'm probably the one who's going to win,' the pacer said.
June has been quite a prosperous month for Ngidi. In addition to his Test final heroics, the bowler was part of the contingent that delivered Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first Indian Premier League title earlier this month. DM
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