Lungi Ngidi: From Poverty to New-ball Icon
Coming from the most humble circumstances, Lungi Ngidi made his name as a T20 bowler but had incredible figures of 6 for 39 on his Test debut against India. Lungi Ngidi plays for South Africa cricket team and Delhi Team in the Indian T20 League.
After making his mark in domestic T20s, he starred on debut against Sri Lanka before injury halted his progress. But that stunning Test debut pushed him back into the spotlight, and it wasn’t long before an Indian T20 League contract came his way.
No matter what the format, Ngidi is a wicket taker – his strike rate in T20Is is unmatched – but an inability to stop the runs has seen him fall down the pecking order as far as T20 franchises are concerned. On his good days, with his height and a physique that wouldn’t be out of place on a rugby pitch, Ngidi can be nearly unplayable.
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Lungi Ngidi’s Personal Details
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- Name
- :
- Lungisani True-man Ngidi
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- Age
- :
- 27 Years
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- Birthplace
- :
- Durban, South Africa
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- Height
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- 6′4″
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- Playing Role
- :
- Bowler
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- Bowling Style
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- Right-arm fast medium
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- Current Teams
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- South Africa, Delhi team
Lungi Ngidi’s Current Rankings
As of 18 July 2023, Lungi Ngidi is ranked 37th, 37th, 26th in the T20I, Test and ODIs bowling rankings.
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- Game Format
- Test
- ODI
- T20
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- ICC Bowling Rankings
- 37
- 26
- 37
Lungi Ngidi Career Stats
As of 22 Aug. 2022, Lungi Ngidi has the below stats in the ODI, Test and T20I format for South Africa team.
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- Format
- M
- Wickets
- Best Bowling
- Avg
- SR
- ER
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- Test
- 17
- 51
- 6/39 vs. IND
- 23.37
- 45.39
- 3.09
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- ODI
- 45
- 73
- 6/58 vs. AUS
- 27.12
- 29.18
- 5.74
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- T20I
- 37
- 60
- 5/39 vs. ENG
- 18.45
- 12.3
- 9
Lungi Ngidi - Key Skills and Strengths
Ngidi first came to prominence as a T20 bowler who was comfortable both with the new ball and bowling in the final stages of an innings. But while destroying India on his Test debut in January 2018, he also showed that he had the discipline and accuracy to master the longest format. He could also bowl the heavy ball, just short of a good length, which troubles even the best batters. Most importantly, as his numbers in each format show, especially the strike rate, he’s a wicket taker.
Lungi Ngidi - Awards and Achievements
Since his T20I debut for the South African cricket team in 2017, Ngidi has managed to make an impact across formats. Despite question marks over his weight and fitness at times, he has 5-wicket hauls in each format of the game. And when in good rhythm, he’s equally at home with the red ball and its white counterpart.
Here are some of Ngidi’s achievements in international cricket:
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Ngidi’s 6-39 on debut against India were the 7th-best figures by a South African debutant.
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No South African has taken 50 ODI wickets faster than him (26 games).
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Only Jonty Rhodes (5) has taken more catches in an ODI innings than Marsh (4).
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His strike rate in T20Is (11.7) is the best for any bowler in the format’s history.
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Only Tim Southee (16) has had more batters caught behind in T20Is than Ngidi (13), but the former has played 3 times as many matches.
Lungi Ngidi’s Indian T20 League Journey
Ngidi’s stunning performance on Test debut convinced Indian T20 League scouts who had already watched him perform in T20s with the Titans and South Africa. Given how astutely they’ve recruited over the years, it was no big surprise when the Chennai team paid ₹50 lakhs for him before the 2018 Indian T20 League season. And though he played only 7 matches, Ngidi’s 11 wickets were a big factor in Chennai celebrating their return after a 2-year ban with a title win. But his inability to choke the flow of runs in the 2020 and 2021 seasons saw Chennai let him go, and though Delhi Team bought him for ₹50 lakhs before the 2022 season, he didn’t play a game.
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- Format
- M
- Wickets
- Best Bowling
- Avg
- SR
- ER
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- Indian T20 League
- 14
- 25
- 4/10 vs Punjab
- 17.92
- 12.96
- 8.30
Lungi Ngidi: FAQs
Currently, Ngidi has played for the South Africa national cricket team since 2017 and in the Indian T20 League, he was bought by the Delhi Team in 2022 but yet to play a game for them.
Ngidi’s mother was a domestic worker, while his father did maintenance jobs at a local school.
He is an admirer of Atletico Madrid, coached by Diego Simeone.
One was Chris Gayle, cricket’s self-styled Universe Boss, another was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish football legend.