"One Of The Tougher Decisions": Temba Bavuma On Choosing Lungi Ngidi Over Dane Paterson For WTC Final
Lungi Ngidi is set to make his return to Test cricket in the ICC World Test Championship(WTC) final at Lord's, will mark his first appearance in the format in ten months, and only his third Test under head coach Shukri Conrad. Ngidi has been named in South Africa's playing XI ahead of seamer Dane Paterson, with selectors opting for extra pace and bounce in an attack that also includes Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, and spinner Keshav Maharaj.
"It was probably one of the tougher decisions that have been made," South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said at his pre-match press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"We've seen what Patto (Paterson) did for us at the end of last season. But from a tactical point of view, there's a little bit more pace from Lungi. He is taller as well," he added.
Lord's is known for its unique slope, and height is often seen as a valuable asset for fast bowlers. All of Australia's quicks stand over 1.90 metres tall, and South Africa have matched that with Jansen (2.06m) and Ngidi (1.93m). Mulder, the shortest of the quicks on either side at 1.85m, offers a medium pace with subtle movement, but his bowling style was considered too similar to Paterson's for both to be included in a line-up aiming for variety.
"Lungi has the experience. He's played here before - not that Patto hasn't, but Lungi complements that bowling attack a little bit more," Bavuma said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"We have a guy like Mulder as well, who kind of gives you something similar to what Patto can do. But I think that was probably one of the difficult decisions that we had to make," he added.
Though Ngidi has experience at Lord's, having played there against England in 2022, his impact in that match was limited, he bowled 12 overs across two innings and picked up 1/27. Since then, he has featured in only two Tests in the past 18 months and did not play any red-ball cricket last summer. On Monday, Ngidi was seen training under the watchful eye of England legend Stuart Broad, alongside Rabada, Jansen, and Mulder.
His most recent first-class outing came in August last year, during South Africa's Test against West Indies, where he bowled 16.5 overs and took 1/51. Since November 2022, Ngidi has bowled more than ten overs in an innings only twice, both in Tests and has struggled with a series of injuries. A groin issue sidelined him from mid-November 2024 to January 2025.
This year, Ngidi played five matches in the SA20 league and featured in all of South Africa's Champions Trophy fixtures. He also bowled two overs in a rain-hit warm-up match against Zimbabwe in Arundel. However, there remain question marks over his ability to maintain effectiveness in prolonged spells, particularly the third, fourth, and fifth spells that may be required in the final.
By contrast, Dane Paterson had proven his durability over the past season. He delivered 68 overs in the two home Tests he played during the 2024-25 summer, claiming 13 wickets at an impressive average of 16.92. However, team management's desire to bolster the batting line-up and strike a better balance in the bowling attack has ultimately worked against him.
At 36, Paterson is approaching the end of his international career and has not been named in the squad for the upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe later this month.
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