Lungi Ngidi is the second-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Star seamer Lungi Ngidi has opened up on his variations after South Africa’s huge 76-run victory over the reigning champions, India. Though the bowler went wicketless in their first fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights, he played an impactful role in the side’s dominating outing against the Men in Blue.
The bowler acknowledged how the former West Indies great, Dwayne Bravo, helped him work on his slower deliveries during their stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2018. Ngidi also noted that the opposition players’ focus on tackling the Proteas’ pace spearhead, Kagiso Rabada, helps him in executing all of his variations.
“I was at the IPL in 2018 with Bravo, and that entire IPL, that’s all I worked on. I wasn’t playing, so I got time to practice it. And then when I got back to South Africa, I just tried to perfect that ball. Not many people pay attention to me. But that helps me in terms of being able to us all these variations,” stated the bowler.
Notably, the 29-year-old used the trick in more than half of his deliveries on the night to trouble the hosts’ batters on a tricky wicket in Ahmedabad. The pacer conceded only 15 runs in his four-over quota to refrain Suryakumar Yadav and Co. from accelerating in a 188-run chase. Following the match, India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, had also marked Ngidi as the “point of difference.”
“I think having my slower ball gives me the upper hand in terms of batsmen can’t just swing every ball. We’ve seen that a bit in the power play. So once you have to think, I think that’s where I come into the game,” he added.
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The former CSK player is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for the last edition’s runners-up in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far. Ngidi has scalped eight wickets in four appearances at an impressive economy of 6.62. Earlier, he had also produced a match-winning four-wicket haul against India in the T20 World Cup 2022.
An unbeaten South Africa would want him to carry on the purple patch in the forthcoming fixtures as the team aims to go one step further this time to get their hands on the maiden T20 silverware. Next up, Aiden Markram and Co. will face another undefeated side of the tournament, as they take on the West Indies at the same venue on February 26.
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