Kumble’s praise on South Africa’s bowling attack sees him compliment the ‘Quality and variety’ that the Proteas possess.
Kumble’s praise about South Africa’s bowling attacks shows that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Anil Kumble believes that South Africa’s pace combination of Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi is the most comprehensive attack for the Champions Trophy 2025’s unpredictable bowler-friendly conditions because of the variety they offer.
To get to the semi-finals, South Africa crushed England on Saturday. South Africa knocked out Afghanistan for 208 and England for 179, the two lowest totals in completed innings in this Champions Trophy, in their two group stage matches (one was rained off).
“I think one good thing about South Africa is that all three of their fast bowlers that played today – of course Mulder is the one who bowls the middle periods – but if you look at the three tall fast bowlers, all of them are really tall. And all of them are different,” Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day show.
“Their angles are very different. Rabada is very classical whereas Ngidi is pretty awkward to face with his action and Marco Jansen comes at such height. So all three are very different. So that’s the nature you want in a one-day. That’s the variation.
“Even on a flat track, it’s not easy for the batters to line up because all three are very different. And that’s something that South Africa can certainly feel [confident] they have this kind of a quality and also the variety going into the business end of the tournament.”
With his bounce, Jansen dismissed England’s top three players in seven overs, setting the tone for South Africa’s victory over them. Additionally, he made three catches, one of which came off his own bowling.
“I think he’s still very young, although he has played quite a lot of cricket. He has certainly matured,” Kumble said. “I’m sure these three wickets [will give him confidence], and also you can see his athleticism in the field with all those catches.
“He has improved a lot with his batting as well. He has contributed with the bat on many occasions for South Africa. So in that sense he’s a complete package for South Africa at No. 7 or No. 8.
“And with the ball, with the new ball he can bring the ball back in. He’s tall so it’s not easy for the batters to just get under him,” he said. “We saw that with Phil Salt, it just took off. It was quite steep, the bounce, and he couldn’t get over it. You need that variety in your bowling attack and that’s something that South Africa have in plenty.”