NEW DELHI: South Africa’s fast-bowling attack for the T20 World Cup may not have the aura of their illustrious predecessors but the duo of Luis Ngidi and Marco Jansen are no less industrious and are proving to be quite a handful in the tournament. However, the Pro-teas seamers are not rattling the batters with raw pace like before. Instead, they are plotting the batters’ downfall with deceptive changes in pace and length in the game’s shortest for-mat. The team plays UAE in their last group-stage match in Delhi on Wednesday, ahead of Sunday’s big-ticket clash against South Africa.
With their premium pacer Kagiso Rabada looking well below his best in the first three games, Ngidi and Jansen have risen to the occasion in the group stage. Of the 22 wickets South Africa have claimed in the three matches, the two have shared 15 between them, with Ngidi claiming eight and Jansen seven. More importantly, eight of those wickets claimed by the duo have come in the Powerplay.
The duo have refrained from bowling too full and have banked on back-of-a length and good-length deliveries in the initial overs. More importantly, they have used the slower balls judiciously and varied their length.
The South African team’s special consultant Albie Morkel gave an insight into their fast bowlers’ thinking on the eve of their game against UAE. “We’ve been based in Ahmedabad, where the wicket has been really good for batting. So as a bowler you don’t have too many options and batters thrive in such conditions.
So, it’s all about trying to take that length away, be a little unpredictable to stop them scoring those sixes,” said Albie, brother of India’s bowling coach Morne.
He also praised Ngidi. “He’s very good at taking wickets. He has developed a very deceptive slower ball, which he knows when to use and how to use.” The elder of the Morkel brothers also backed Rabada to come good “We’re going to double down on him and back him all the way. I think that’s the only way to go,” he said.
