Everyone wants to bowl fast, but not Lungi Ngidi.
The South African pacer has been the talk of the town since the T20 World Cup
and his lethal-but-not-really-fast bowling has earned him accolades in the ongoing IPL as well.
Playing for Delhi Capitals, Ngidi has displayed his mastery with the slower ball, foxing batters into playing false shots. But a ‘slower ball’ is not just a fast-bowler cutting down on his pace, it’s an art, and Ngidi has put in hard work to sharpen his weapon.
So when he met select mediapersons for an interaction on Thursday, the burly pacer was asked about his slower balls. “It seems everyone is surprised, but I have been bowling the slower ones for years. I am probably giving it more flight. I have been seeing the IPL trends... Everyone wants to bowl fast,” Ngidi said.
“On batting-friendly wickets, you got to find something different. A lot of people ask me (about the dipping slower ball). They think it
is easy.
“It took me almost close to a year to deliver this ball. It is one of my main weapons. It takes a lot of confidence to develop that on a yorker length. When I get it right, it creates chances, that is what you want in T20 cricket,” he elaborated.
His plan has worked well this IPL — five wickets from four games at an economy of 8.04. Variety is the name of the game, believes Ngidi.
“In the shorter format, we don’t rely too much on the stock ball. Guys are looking for 70 runs in the Powerplay. If you keep bowling the same thing, he is going to catch you at some point.
“Having variations is good so that you can fall back on it if the stock ball is not working.
“If the wicket is not giving you anything, then you
ask yourself what now and if you don’t have other skills,
you are in trouble,” the 30-year-old explained.
And it’s quite a statement when Ngidi admits that he owes it all to Test cricket. “Good Test match lengths will never leave the game. The basics of the game remain the same. Test cricket has helped me in the shorter formats.”
