Ngidi’s stellar four-day debut for Titans

Lungi Ngidi has made a few appearances in the limited overs competitions for the Titans, but the Sunfoil Series game against the Dolphins was always likely to be a bigger examination of his ability. Photo by: Samuel Shivambu

Lungi Ngidi has made a few appearances in the limited overs competitions for the Titans, but the Sunfoil Series game against the Dolphins was always likely to be a bigger examination of his ability. Photo by: Samuel Shivambu

Published Oct 21, 2016

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Day 1 of 4:

Hollywoodbets Dolphins 207

Multiply Titans 45/0

Lungi Ngidi’s name has been whispered around this region for a couple of years. Tall, powerfully built with a neat action, there are great expectations and he lived up to some of that on Thursday in his first Sunfoil Series match.

Ngidi has made a few appearances in the limited overs competitions for the Titans, but this was always likely to be a bigger examination of his ability. He passed it with flying colours.

He took to the match with aplomb, coming on first change in the seventh over from the Hennops River End. Conditions were cool and already the Titans’ new ball bowlers; David Wiese and Rowan Richards, not the quickest opening pair, had shown there was enough assistance off the pitch and through the air to justify Henry Davids’ decision to bowl upon winning the toss.

It took Ngidi until his third over before he picked up his first wicket, his high action extracting enough extra bounce to catch the top edge of Dolphins opener Sarel Erwee’s bat with Qaasim Adams taking a comfortable catch in the gully.

Erwee and fellow opener Imraan Khan had given the Dolphins a solid start but their work unravelled in the face of a disciplined and lengthy opening spell from Ngidi.

The 20-year-old followed Erwee’s wicket with that of Khan, to a loose shot, Daryn Smit with another that got big on the batsman and then a brute of a ball to Vaughn van Jaarsveld, forcing the left-hander to take evasive action and in the course of doing so, the ball found the edge of his bat with Adams taking a fine catch diving forward in the slips.

The Dolphins were reduced to 74/4 at lunch and it took a hard working 50 from Serunan Muthusamy to keep them afloat after the interval.

Ngidi returned to register a five-for’ on his franchise debut when he had Mthokozisi Shezi caught behind by Heinrich Klaasen, and the landmark achievement was thoroughly deserved. His final figures: 17-3-39-5.

The Titans openers Heino Kuhn and Aiden Markram survived a difficult test against some spirited and accurate seam bowling from the Dolphins in the final hour and day two offers them and the rest of the batsmen the chance to set aside the demons that have beset thus far.

The Star

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