Playing Ngidi a tactical call, says Bavuma as the pacer was selected over the expected name of Dane Paterson.
Bavuma says playing Ngidi over Paterson ‘tactical’.
It will be Lungi Ngidi’s first Test match in ten months and only his third under coach Shukri Conrad on Wednesday. Ngidi, who is preferred for the added speed and bounce in an attack that also includes Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, and Keshav Maharaj, was confirmed in South Africa’s starting lineup for the WTC final ahead of Dane Paterson.
“It was probably one of the tougher decisions that have been made,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said at his pre-match press conference. “We’ve seen what Patto [Paterson] did for us at the end of last season. But from a tactical point of view, there’s a little bit more pace from Lungi. He is taller as well.”
A bowler’s height is regarded as a significant advantage on the Lord’s slope. While Jansen is 2.06m and Ngidi is 1.93m tall, all of Australia’s quicks are at least 1.90m tall. With a height of 1.85m, Mulder is the shortest fast on both teams. His medium pace bowling style, which allows him to move the ball, was deemed too similar to Paterson’s to be included in an assault seeking variation.
“Lungi has the experience. He’s played here before – not that Patto hasn’t, but Lungi complements that bowling attack a little bit more,” Bavuma said. “We have a guy like Mulder as well, who kind of gives you something similar to what Patto can do. But I think that was probably one of the difficult decisions that we had to make.”
The addition of Ngidi can still be risky. He has previously played at Lord’s, where he bowled 12 overs in two innings against England in 2022, with scores of 1 for 27. In addition, Ngidi did not play red-ball cricket last summer and has only participated in two Test matches in the past 18 months. On Monday afternoon, he practiced with Rabada, Jansen, and Mulder as Stuart Broad watched.