Lungi ngidi
Proteas' Du Plessis, Pretorius and Nortje back teammate Ngidi's BLM stance
Proteas batsman Faf du Plessis, all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius and fast bowler Anrich Nortje have announced their support of teammate Lungi Ngidi and the Black...
Cricket South Africa has responded to a statement by former players and coaches, saying it is committed to addressing racial discrimination in the sport.
Since 1991, a narrative was created that still persists today, that white players are inherently better at cricket than black players, writes Adrian Ephraim.
Former Proteas batsman Hashim Amla is the latest high profile cricketer to add his name to the growing list of supporters for Lungi Ngidi and the Black Lives Matter movement.
More than 30 former Proteas cricketers and five senior coaches have applauded Lungi Ngidi for calling on the current Proteas team to take a stand against racism.
Cape Cobras coach and former Proteas vice-captain Ashwell Prince has vowed to continue the fight against racism in cricket.
"Was I surprised by Graeme Smith’s lukewarm response? Probably not," says freelance journalist Niren Tolsi.
Bowler Lungi Ngidi (24) said he believed his team-mates should make a stand ahead of the next time the squad meets.
With live action resuming following a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the likes of football and Formula 1 have expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movements.
Quinton de Kock, Laura Wolvaardt and Lungi Ngidi took top honours at the annual 2019/20 Cricket South Africa Awards on Saturday.
Ngidi returned from eight months on the sidelines to take 12 wickets at an average of 16.08 in four One-Day Internationals, and 13 wickets at 18.87 each in six Twenty20 matches as he proved South Africa’s most potent seamer.
The 24-year-old showed his wicket taking ability in the T20 and ODI series against Australia. He took 5 wickets in the 3 T20 matches before taking 9 wickets in 2 ODI’s, including career-best ODI figures of 6-58 in Bloemfotein.
Lungi Ngidi produced a match-winning performance at the death to help the Proteas defeat England by just one run in the first T20 international at Buffalo Park, East London.
The 23-year-old limped off with a hamstring injury as South Africa lost to Bangladesh on 2 June and has missed three matches since.
A second consecutive defeat at the World Cup leaves the Proteas with a host of questions to answer before their next match against India.
The rounds come thick and fast and this power puncher is not on the canvas yet. The bell rings again on Sunday where a less resilient opponent awaits, writes Daniel Gallan.
When Ottis Gibson took over as Proteas coach in August 2017, he made it clear he favoured using South Africa’s traditional strength — fiery seam bowling — to bring success in the Test arena.
The bowling strength of both teams is formidable, despite the lack of what had been anticipated as an intriguing match-up of exceptionally accurate seamers between South Africa's Vernon Philander and Pakistan's rising star Mohammad Abbas.