Ngidi fit and ready to add punch to Proteas attack

The Proteas will have Lungi Ngidi back available for selection for their crunch World Cup match against New Zealand at Edgbaston on Wednesday, with the fast bowler saying the attack have to focus on bowling the right length on what is often a slowish pitch.

Ngidi confirmed at Edgbaston on Monday that he has passed his fitness test and is fully fit after a hamstring strain limited him to just four overs against Bangladesh and kept him out of the matches against India, the West Indies and Afghanistan.

The Proteas thinktank would have to have a serious change in ideology to not include Ngidi against New Zealand though.

“I passed my fitness test this morning so I am match-fit and ready. I’m bowling at 100%, if I wasn’t then I would not be ready to play. I went as hard as I could go in my test, at match intensity,” Ngidi said on Monday before turning his attention to what he and the other Proteas bowlers need to do against the Kiwis.

“Against Bangladesh we were a lot shorter than we should have been, they took advantage and were able to post a good total they could defend. Me going off was also not in our favour. We could have tested their techniques a lot more, instead we bombarded them with the short ball, which they expected, and it played into their hands.

“As fast bowlers, there’s no way we’re not going to bowl short balls, but we need to hit our lengths very well, test the batsmen’s techniques, that’s what we’re good at and if we stick to that then we will do as well as we’re expected to. The pitch dictates what lengths to bowl and with the covers on the pitch for the last few days, the ball will probably nip around and swing a bit, so naturally you will bowl a fuller length,” Ngidi said.

New Zealand’s top four of Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have already made their mark on the tournament having all raised their bat for a half-century, but Ngidi reckons what follows them in the batting order could be a little vulnerable.

“We don’t think their middle and lower-order has been tested enough, so if we can get one or two wickets up front and get their middle-order in as early as possible then we could be looking at a different story. We plan to test them more here at Edgbaston with that fuller length, five metres or so, and the thing Ottis Gibson keeps telling me is to hold my length, which hasn’t been ideal up front.

“I didn’t execute my skill in the first couple of games but we want to put New Zealand under pressure in the powerplay and test their techniques. Our bowling has been pretty good so far, Chris Morris and KG Rabada are leading the attack very nicely, Andile Phehlukwayo has been spot-on and Beuran Hendricks gives us a bit more pace. They’ve been hitting their lengths very well,” Ngidi said.

The psychological battle has already begun, it seems, with the Proteas having to field questions on Monday about Munro being targeted because he was born in Durban and the 20^th anniversary on Monday of THAT run out between Lance Klusener and Allan Donald at Edgbaston being brought up several times.

“It was his personal decision to play for New Zealand, we don’t take it personally, but it is our job to get Munro out. What happened in 1999 was crucial for the team at that stage, but it has no effect on us now and it won’t help us moving forward to worry about that. We’re just focused on our game plans and what we need to do to win,” the 23-year-old Ngidi said like a wise old pro.

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