“It’s been a very long time since I’ve taken a five-for, but it felt good today to take one,” said Proteas bowler, Lungi Ngidi, at the end of Day 1 of the first Test between South Africa and West Indies in St. Lucia. 

South Africa dominated the day, bowling the West Indies out for 97, and finishing the day with the bat on 128/4. Ngidi said, “If I’m being positive as a bowler, maybe a lead of 150-200, we’ll take that.” However, he explained, “You were never really in as a batsman.” 

Registering his second fifer since his debut, Ngidi said his performance was the result of a lot of work behind the scenes, with a particular focus on his fitness and expanding his skill set.

“Swinging the ball away from batsmen now has been very useful for me, and I’ve loved bowling with the Duke ball. It seems to swing all day,” explained Ngidi. 

Given that South Africa has typically bowled with the Kookaburra and SG balls in the recent past, the bowlers were careful to not get carried away by the nature of the Dukes ball.

“You can get carried away especially when it’s nipping around and swinging like that. My role definition in the team has been very clear. It’s been to make sure that I keep one end quiet.”  

With Anrich Nortje taking four and Kagiso Rabada taking one wicket, respectively, Ngidi said the bowling unit was trying to bowl well collectively. “Hunting as a group is something we’ve tried to instil in the bowling unit. We can go a long way in being a world-class outfit.” 

Photo: Cricket South Africa