New Delhi, June 9 South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is raring to deliver for the side in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's starting on June 11.
Ngidi is a potential game-changer in the Proteas' pursuit of lifting the title. Although teammates Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have dominated headlines ahead of the red-ball summit clash, Ngidi is expected to play a key role in South Africa’s formidable pace attack after overcoming a challenging period marked by injury.
The 29-year-old impressed during a rigorous training session at Lord’s on Sunday, and the talented pacer looks ready to make a strong impact in the one-off Test at the Home of Cricket.
"I feel very ready, as I have had a lot of time to prepare for this. It's any cricketer's dream to play at Lord's. I've been blessed with the opportunity before, playing England at Lord's and that was quite something for me with the nerves and the excitement.
"But coming back this time around, the nerves are a lot more settled. There is obviously a big title on the line, but the beautiful thing about Test cricket is the process pretty much remains the same and having that consistency helps me relax as a player," Ngidi told ICC Digital.
It was Rabada who stole the spotlight during South Africa’s last trip to Lord’s, delivering a match-winning five-wicket haul in the first innings as the Proteas dominated England by an innings and 12 runs in just two and a half days.
Ngidi, reflecting on his own memorable debut at the historic London ground, believes Rabada is well-positioned to deliver another spectacular performance in this year’s ultimate Test.
"The last time we were here, I knew that he (Rabada) wanted to get his name on the honours board. The best way for me to help him in terms of doing that was to be as consistent and as patient as I could be with the lines that I bowled and not trying to be too extravagant. But I knew that with the way he bowls, wickets are going to come at some stage. For me, it was just to keep it quiet on the other end. Just understanding that before we went onto the field, my job was already pretty clear," he said.
South Africa have come close to ending their long wait for a major ICC Men’s tournament title in recent years, reaching the final of last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and making it to the semi-finals of this year’s ICC Champions Trophy.
Ngidi believes the team has what it takes to overcome Australia and finally end the drought. He also feels that winning the mace at Lord’s would have a tremendous impact on cricket in South Africa.
"I don't think I can put it into words, to be honest. We've come close over the last couple of years now with other different tournaments. For me, this is the ultimate form of cricket and to be able to bring this back home would be a dream come true. I don't want to jinx anything, but it would be awesome. I think it could change the landscape of cricket in South Africa and just bring that focus back to red-ball cricket," Ngidi concluded.
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