Lungi Ngidi is often a divisive figure in SA cricket due to his inconsistency, but when it matters most, the Gentle Giant always delivers.
That was the case on Wednesday in the SA20, as the towering fast bowler prepared to deliver the 18th over of the innings for Pretoria Capitals (PC) against Durban Super Giants (DSG) at Kingsmead, in Durban.
In a match dominated by powerful batting, as PC’s Shai Hope bludgeoned 118 not out from 69 to help his side post an imposing 201, Ngidi had the final say in the high-scoring affair. Jos Buttler was at the wicket on 74 from 42, and David Wiese was at the other end on six.
What followed was history in the making as Ngidi bowled the first-ever hat-trick in SA20 history. Buttler could only watch as his side were reduced from 160/5 to 160/8 in the blink of an eye.
Ngidi’s Crucial Role in South Africa’s Victory at Lord’s and His Selection for the T20 World Cup
It’s performances like these that make Ngidi an invaluable asset to any team. Another similar performance came in the World Test Championship final for South Africa against Australia at Lord’s in June last year.
Having not played much cricket at all leading up to the match, Ngidi raised eyebrows for the clash after he was picked instead of Dane Paterson, who had been in excellent form on the County circuit and especially at Lord’s, where he had played a number of times in the preceding weeks.
In the first innings, Ngidi looked out of his depth as he had problems with his run-up and was by far the most expensive bowler, as he went at over 5.5 runs per over and was wicketless in his eight overs.
In the second innings, Ngidi stormed back with three wickets in the space of six overs, which helped reduce Australia from 48/3 to 73/7. Australia would go on to be bowled out for 207, and though the Proteas still had to chase an imposing 282, Aiden Markram (136) and Temba Bavuma (66) ensured SA completed a memorable victory.
Though Markram would win man of the match for anchoring the historic SA chase, the win would not have been possible without Ngidi’s exploits.
It shows that Ngidi has that X-factor, and that’s why there was probably no hesitation in Shukri Conrad’s mind when coming up with his squad for the T20 World Cup starting next month.
@Michael_Sherman
Sport
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