Lungi Ngidi silenced his critics in final to help Proteas fight-back against Australia

WHEN Lungi Ngidi burst onto the international scene, naturally, the whole country was filled with excitement.

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There was a young 1.93-metre-tall black African fast bowler, one who had express pace, accuracy and skill.

A couple of years prior, the coun-try had welcomed Kagiso Rabada, and with Ngidi coming onto the scene, the cricket-loving nation could already foresee the two ripping through every Test batting unit in the world.

In 2018, on his Test debut, Ngidi took a six-for against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion and was the Player of the Match, an achievement that further gave the country hope of a bright future for him and the national team.

A year later, he was leading the attack alongside Rabada in the ICC 2019 ODI World Cup in the United Kingdom, and Rabada was there with the new ball as the pair showed promising signs for the future.