With frontline seamers Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee not on tour with the Proteas in Afghanistan, it will be up to Lungi Ngidi to lead South Africa’s bowling attack against their hosts.
Ngidi, who will have the likes of Nandre Burger, Ottneil Baartman and Lizaad Williams as fast bowlers to back him up alongside allrounders Wiaan Mulder and Andile Phehlukwayo, is South Africa’s most senior seam bowler on the three-match ODI tour which starts in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
And while captain Temba Bavuma doesn’t want to place added pressure on the 28-year-old Ngidi, he knows his senior players have to step up.
Bavuma explains: “Fom the bowling side – without putting too much pressure on him, a guy like Lungi [must take the lead by] really just doing what he normally does and seeing him perform to the standards that we are accustomed to from him.
“With the newer faces it does place a little more responsibility on the senior faces in the side, to make sure our standard doesn’t drop in the team.”
The second ODI is played on Friday, with the third played this Sunday before SA leaves for two T20Is and three ODIs in Ireland.