Lungi Ngidi
Bowlers
Style | Right arm fast |
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D. O. B. | 29 March, 1996 |
Joined | 2015 |
The 24-year-old Ngidi is now held in the highest regard all over the cricketing world after just three seasons of professional play, with his breakout moment coming in 2018, when Indian legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni used him to spearhead the Chennai Super Kings attack as they claimed the IPL title.
While his considerable height (1.93m) blesses Ngidi with steepling bounce, he is also a skilful and accurate bowler, who is also remarkably tactically astute for one so young.
Born in Durban to a family of humble means, Ngidi’s star began to rise when he won a scholarship to Hilton College. Pretoria University then recruited him and his first national honours came with the SA U19 side in 2014.
His full Proteas debut came at SuperSport Park in a T20 game against Sri Lanka in January 2017 and he immediately showed he was at home with six wickets in his first two internationals.
He made his Test and ODI debut in 2017/18 against India and his Test debut was spectacular, with six for 39 at SuperSport Park as the world number ones were bundled out for 151 to lose by 135 runs, South Africa clinching the series.
Ngidi had match figures of five for 75 in his only Test of the Australian series, helping to level the rubber in Port Elizabeth, but injury prevented him playing any Tests last summer. He was outstanding, however, in ODI cricket, with 16 wickets in 10 games, at an average of just 20.68 and a superb economy-rate of 4.55.
Apart from his tremendous cricketing talent, Ngidi is also held in the highest regard as a person.
