Lungi Ngidi learning art of death bowling from top West Indian star

Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi says he is working closely with West Indian Dwayne Bravo on his slower balls during the death overs in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Lungi Ngidi played his first game of the tournament for the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, returning figures of 3-28 in an 18-run victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The 25-year-old replaced Bravo in Chennai’s starting line-up for Wednesday’s encounter but revealed he is taking tips from the veteran West Indian.

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In quotes published on the IPL website, Ngidi said: “There was a lot of pressure, Bravo has been doing very well for CSK. So, I had to come in and fill his shoes.

“I have worked very closely with Bravo on the slower bowls at the death. One of the slower bowls he has been teaching me for a long time came off and got us a wicket.”

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In what was a high-scoring affair at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, a total of 422 runs were scored, Lungi Ngidi admitted he was nervous coming out to bowl defending a total of 220.

The Proteas paceman continued: “It was good (on his first appearance of the season). Watching you guys out there dominate the bowlers makes a bowler a bit nervous in the change room. It was good to get out there and a few early wickets helped.

“Deepak Chahar was on fire so I just tried to back him up a bit. Throughout the innings, I just tried to chip away at their batsmen.

“They were flowing at a stage, hitting boundaries for fun. I just tried to keep taking wickets.”

Ngidi’s form with the ball should come as a relief to Proteas head coach Mark Boucher, especially with the T20 World Cup taking place in India later this year.

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