Ngidi revels in South Africa’s bold new brand of cricket
Lungi Ngidi’s five-for in the second ODI against Australia helped South Africa take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Lungi Ngidi’s five-wicket haul in the second ODI against Australia earned him the Player of the Match award, his first in any format in nearly three years.
Ngidi’s superb spell powered the Proteas to an 84-run victory, sealing the series 2-0 with a game still to play.
South Africa have been on an impressive run in recent years, lifting the World Test Championship 2025 mace, reaching the final of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup and making multiple semi-final appearances across formats.
Ngidi, who has been an integral part of the journey, believes South Africa’s recent success has come from staying true to their identity while still aiming for results.
"The most important thing is how we played," Ngidi said. "Are we playing our brand of cricket? Are we playing the way we want to play? When we lose and we're not playing our way or with the freedom that the coach has given us, then it's a problem.
"But when we execute and we play the way we want to play, that's the beautiful thing."
Reflecting on his performance after bagging a five-for in the second ODI, the South African pacer added, "It's pretty much about giving you the freedom to bowl what you want to bowl.”
"We've been playing international cricket for a couple of years now, so we kind of know what we're good at and what we need to do. Set your field and bowl what you want to bowl according to whatever you see in front of you.
"Play the conditions in front of you and don't be scared to try things."
Ngidi’s brilliant planning was on display in the dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne, which he revealed was inspired by fellow pacer Marco Jansen’s setup to remove Labuschagne in the ICC World Test Championship Final a few months ago.
"We do our video analysis and we've seen, even from the Test Championship, outside off with the ball shaping away seems to be effective. He leaves very well, but you need to score runs at some point in ODI cricket, so you're probably going to feel outside off," he noted.
"I just tried to keep it simple and just plug away at that length and that line and it seemed to come off. It went according to plan."
Marnus Labuschagne - Wicket - South Africa vs Australia
Marnus Labuschagne - Wicket - South Africa vs Australia
Ngidi has relished bowling against Australia in ODIs, claiming 26 wickets against them – the most he has taken against any opponent.
"It's always a battle against Australia. It's always competitive," Ngidi said.
"It's a test of character because we were put under pressure from the T20S, and we had the opportunity to win a series tonight, so just mentally stepping up and finishing it off.
"It's just a great rivalry that's always been there. And it's going to continue for many, many years."
South Africa will look to cap off their tour on a high when they face Australia in the third and final ODI on Sunday, 24 August, in Mackay.