Ngidi keen to make his debut for the Proteas in the T20-series

Lungi Ngidi cannot wait to play his first international match for South Africa.

January 18, 2017

2 minutes read

Lungi Ngidi in action for the Titans. Photo: GB Jordaan

If there is one thing Lungi Ngidi the young fast bowler of Tuks and the Titans really relishes as a fast bowler it is to duel with a batsman at high speed.

“Every time I run in to bowl I see it as a competition of skills between myself and the batsman. A competition I obviously want to win. That is why I give a 100% with every delivery as there is a real hunger to get the wicket. I will be honest, when I do succeed it is a big thrill,” explained the 20-year-old Ngidi who might just make his debut for the Proteas on Friday at SuperSport Park when they play against Sri Lanka in the first T20-game.

“It would a big honour if I do get to play for the Proteas as it is something I have been dreaming about ever since I bowled my first delivery as a nine year old. Naturally I would be slightly nervous because I would not want to disappoint the people who spent hours grooming me to be able to play at an international level. I owe so much too so many people,” he continued.

Mark Boucher (Titans coach) describes Ngidi as a ‘great kid’.

“He is very open-minded. He has height, pace, skill and a great attitude. He has all the attributes to be one of the stars of the future in South Africa,” said Boucher.

Ngidi’s bowling career started taking off when he joined Assupol TuksCricket.

“I had a terrible bowling action when I arrived in Pretoria. It was Chris van Noordwyk who fixed it. He literally spent hours with me helping me to become a more efficient by fine tuning my bowling action. I naturally swing the ball into the batsman, but with Chris’s help I am now also able to swing the ball away. One of the most important things Chris taught me is that bowling really fast is not as important as making sure that you get the ball in the right area all the time. In other words, every ball that I bowl should pressurize the batsman,” he said.

According to Ngidi he is a man of few words on the field.

“I don’t really chirp the batsman but my body language is a bit aggressive. I will be in the batsman face without saying anything.”

A definite highlight for Ngidi last year was when he made his debut for the Titans in the Sun Foil-series. He immediately impacted on the game by taking 5/39 and 2/48 against the Dolphins. He also played for the Titans in the local T20-series and the Momentum One Day Cup-series.

Ngidi believes the best decision he made as a cricketer and student was to come to the University of Pretoria.

“At Assupol TuksCricket the importance of excelling on the field and as a student is emphasized by the coaches from day one. And I am grateful for that because I do realize that there will never be any guarantees in professional sport so it is important for me to get my degree,” said the young star who is currently studying towards obtaining a degree in BA Social Science.