The former South African seam bowler and head coach of Easterns, André Nel, has sung the praises of the national u.19-player and Kagiso Rabada look-alike Lungi Ngidi, saying the Northerns-player at the Africa T20 Cup is a real future prospect.
“He is big and strong and hits good areas. Lungi still falls away at the point of delivery, so if he can be upright and have the right momentum going in the direction of the batsman, he can still add some pace. He is talented and is fairly accurate. There is so much potential.
“He looks a bit like Kagiso Rabada. Won’t it be great if these two hunt for South Africa as a pair in a few years? Obviously you cannot push him too early. We have to make sure we nurture him appropriately at first-class level,” an excited Nel said about the 19-year old prospect.
Nel captured 123 wickets in 36 tests as South African bowler. The fiery fast bowler also accounted for 106 batsmen in 79 One Day Internationals.
Mark Charlton, coach of the all-conquering Northerns who won the 16-team T20-event, said Ngidi was superb throughout the Africa T20 Cup-campaign, and operated with good pace and control.
“He displayed match awareness (and maturity) beyond his years,” he added.
Charlton also saluted Heinrich Klaasen, saying the young wicketkeeper-batsman has the ability to win matches single-handedly whether attacking or scrapping. He can destroy attacks and play a match-winning innings, or defy the opposition when strolling to the crease on 50 for five to rescue a team and ultimately lead them to victory.
He was not an instant prodigy, but developed over three years into a player who can operate comfortably at franchise-level.
Charlton said Albie Morkel’s 53 off 38 balls for Northerns Group A-match against the Zimbabwean Presidents X1 and Klaasen’s unbeaten 72 off 39 deliveries against Easterns when they won by three wickets with three balls to spare, were the individual performances that powered Northerns into the play-offs.
Nel, still smarting slightly from that three-wicket defeat which denied Easterns a semi-final berth, said a dropped catch and a fielder who moved in from the boundary too early and saw the ball loop over his head, cost Easterns the momentum in that match against Northerns.
Charlton said: “Winning the Africa T20-Cup was not a once off. We started off three seasons ago and were the best (semi-professional team) in the country last season.
“You need to back your instincts and find the players who can take the game forward, but also improve at their skills every day. They need to become fitter, stronger and more professional every season and operate strongly as a unit,” he added.
