With South Africa’s biggest Test match approaching, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is excited about making history by bringing the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) mace home. The Proteas will face the defending champions, Australia, in the blockbuster WTC Final at Lord’s on June 11, and Ngidi believes a victory may change the landscape for South African cricket.
South Africa’s numerous near misses in ICC competitions, including a loss to India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final and a semi-final exit in the 2025 Champions Trophy, have hindered them from winning a major championship.
However, with a strong WTC season that includes seven consecutive wins, the Proteas have another wonderful opportunity to end their long title drought.
“To be honest, I don’t think I can express it in words. We’ve come close in the past few years with various competitions. For me, this is the pinnacle of cricket, and bringing it back home would be a dream come true. I do not want to jinx anything, but it would be fantastic. “I believe it has the potential to change the landscape of cricket in South Africa and shift the focus back to red-ball cricket,” Ngidi told ICC Digital.
The nerves are lot more settled: Lungi Ngidi
While his fellow teammates Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have drawn the attention, Ngidi has been working his way back to full rhythm after suffering some injuries. The 29-year-old is now fully fit and confident for the upcoming contest.
“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,” the pacer added..
Notably, Ngidi’s performance and being in full fitness could be important in strengthening South Africa’s pace attack, which will hope to replicate past success at Lord’s. On their last visit, Rabada wreaked havoc with his five-wicket haul, helping the Proteas dismantle England in just two and a half days. Meanwhile, Ngidi has played just one Test at the iconic Lord’s and managed to pick a single wicket.
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