Africa-Press – South-Africa. Lungi Ngidi says his 4-29 in his side’s crucial T20 World Cup win over India in Perth on Sunday was up there with one of his best efforts in a Proteas jersey.
Ngidi was the star in a South African seam bowling masterclass that restricted India to 133/9 from their allotted 20 overs.
The Proteas were far from comfortable in their chase, relying on half-centuries from David Miller and Aiden Markram to get over the line with two balls to spare, but they ultimately laid the platform with their bowling.
Ngidi has been rotated with spinner Tabraiz Shamsi so far in the competition depending on conditions, but he gave another reminder on Sunday of his ability to pick up wickets in T20 cricket by removing both Indian openers in his first over.
“Having not played much in this World Cup to come in and play like this against India, I think I could not have asked for a better day in terms of cricketing ability,” said Ngidi.
“It probably ranks as one of my best performances.”
India dragged the game into the final over with South Africa needing six to win and Miller finished off his 46-ball innings with two fours.
India’s opening bowlers made early inroads on the quick and bouncy Perth wicket.
Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh struck twice in the space of three deliveries of the second over with Quinton de Kock out for one and Rilee Rossouw, who made a century in the previous match against Bangladesh, this time out lbw for a duck.
Markram hit back with two fours but captain Temba Bavuma’s dry run with the bat extended as he nicked one to the wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik while attempting a scoop shot off Mohammed Shami.
Markram and Miller took the innings to 40-3 at the halfway mark but went on the attack after the drinks break.
Ravichandran Ashwin came in for punishment, bludgeoned for 17 in one over as he went for 43 off his four overs, but the off-spinner was left crestfallen when the normally safe hands of Virat Kohli at deep midwicket dropped a routine chance from Markram on 35.
India were dogged by sloppy fielding as Rohit Sharma missed a run out and another catch went awry on the boundary.
“The catches we dropped or the run out chance we missed, we knew if we could have got then things could have been different,” pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Singh told reporters.
Markram raised his fifty with a four and two runs off Arshdeep as South Africa closed in on their target.
Hardik Pandya broke the stand when Markram holed out to Suryakumar Yadav but Miller stood firm to see his team home.
Earlier, Ngidi led a fiery pace onslaught to keep India to a below-par total after they chose to bat.
Yadav smashed a 40-ball 68, laced with six fours and three sixes, and put on a key stand of 52 with Dinesh Karthik to help India recover from 49-5.
Ngidi was ably supported by fellow fast bowler Wayne Parnell who finished with 3-15 after starting the innings with a T20 rarity – a maiden over.
The in-form Yadav, who hit an unbeaten 51 against the Netherlands in their previous win, even smashed Ngidi for a huge six over fine leg to bring alive a large Indian contingent in the crowd. He reached his fifty off 30 balls with another four.
Karthik tried to join the attack but fell to Parnell, who broke a stand that had been worth 52 before the same bowler dismissed Yadav in the 19th over.
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