South Africa vow to throw first punch in Test decider against England

Lungi Ngidi hails the return of the fab four as South Africa vow to throw the first punch in Test decider against England at the Oval

• Lungi Ngidi insists South Africa are ready for the Test decider against England
• The pace quartet of Ngidi, Rabada, Nortje and Jansen are expected to play
• Dean Elgar’s men seeking to emulate Graeme Smith’s sides of 2008 and 2012 

There was a phase of play in the second Test when Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes had settled in with England on top where Lungi Ngidi turned to his white-ball expertise to try to shift the tide, delivering slower balls and dipping yorkers despite possessing 90mph+ pace.

It was a measure of the skillset the 26-year-old has developed and of the changing nature of the longest format of the game.

‘It boils down to having that freedom to make that decision,’ says Ngidi. ‘I’ve got these skills I can use so why not? Once Stokes was moving the game forward, I had to use those skills to slow down the game or create an opportunity for us. A couple of the yorkers, the guys were late on them and people may think this isn’t Test cricket but the game is constantly advancing.

Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi insists South Africa are ready for the Test decider against England

‘The biggest thing is to play with the freedom of mind. That’s the way world cricket is going. You look at England and there’s that level of freedom where players are encouraged to express themselves.’

From Manchester to London via a midweek retreat, South Africa have been recharging their batteries after England fought back to level the series at Old Trafford. Ngidi insists the tourists are ready for the decider.

‘The time away helped. It’s been a long tour but the focus is back, especially after the week we’ve had away from cricket,’ he says.

‘Sometimes that’s all it takes. And the guys are really excited because there’s something pretty big on the line. Winning against England in England. Not many teams can say that.’

Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen are expected to play at the Oval

Dean Elgar’s men have the chance to follow in the footsteps of Graeme Smith’s sides of 2008 and 2012. Captain Elgar’s decision to replace a seamer for an extra spinner at Old Trafford was costly after the way their four-pronged pace attack had ripped England apart at Lord’s.

And the tourists are expected to return to the quartet of Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen at the Oval.

‘Everyone expected us to be under pressure with the way England have been playing but we know what we’re capable of,’ says Ngidi. ‘We didn’t get to No 1 by chance. How we played at Lord’s is the brand of cricket we want to play.

‘Throw the first punch and you put yourself in a good position to win the Test. With four fast bowlers together, it gave us serious ammunition and it’s exciting to see what could be. People know what to expect if you see us four in the line-up.’

Dean Elgar’s men can follow in the footsteps of Graeme Smith’s sides of 2008 and 2012

Incidentally, South Africa were at the Belfry — a venue that has hosted four Ryder Cups — when news of Jonny Bairstow’s freak injury at a golf course in Yorkshire filtered through.

Ngidi knows how tough injuries can be, having played just 15 of South Africa’s 35 Tests since he took match figures of seven for 90 on debut against India in 2018.

But he is well aware of the opportunity that the loss of England’s man of the summer presents. ‘It’s unfortunate,’ he says. ‘You don’t like hearing stuff like that because getting injured is a terrible feeling and it’s a big loss for them, but it opens up an opportunity for us to really attack that middle order.’

In the absence of Bairstow, another Yorkshireman, Harry Brook, is set to make his Test debut and the tourists are aware of what he can do after Brook hit 140 against them in a tour match before the series.

England fought back to level the series with a comprehensive victory at Old Trafford

‘From what we’ve seen, we know the guy can play,’ adds Ngidi. ‘He wouldn’t be at this level if he couldn’t. He scored a hundred against us in the warm-up game.’

There is a sense of calmness in Ngidi’s persona. Man of the match on his Test and T20 debuts for South Africa and twice an IPL winner, he knows just how far he has come from growing up in a one-room house to getting an anonymous bursar for an independent school to playing cricket for his country.

‘I know what it’s like to be poor so once I started getting money and a bit of fame, I’ve never let it get to my head. I’ll never forget where I came from.’ It’s that mindset that sees Ngidi emphasise that for him, the ultimate impact off the pitch is as important as it is on it.

He is signed with Roc Nation — an agency that represents the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Maro Itoje and Siya Kolisi — who approached him two years ago.

‘I struggle to keep quiet about things that are wrong. If there’s something I can do about it, I’ll do it. Growing up, you hear the stories of apartheid. If I can make a difference today, that’s exactly what I’ll do. I just want to see a peaceful South Africa, man.’

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