The performances of Proteas players Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen in the MLC have given South Africa hope heading into the ODI Cup while Lungi Ngidi’s lack of game remains a growing concern.
From the moment South Africa concluded the 3-0 series sweep over the Netherlands in what was the last series of the summer, Proteas coach Rob Walter made it clear that each and every tournament each player gets to be a part of must be used as preparation for the Cup.
Be it the Indian Premier League or any other league, the message was for each player to make the most of the tournaments as the Cup looms.
Walter told Sport after the Dutch series that even the players who won’t get much game time in these T20 tournaments will still get to train in the nets, play intra-squad games and be in high performance environments which is what the Proteas need going into the Cup.
But it remains a growing concern how Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has yet again went through another T20 competition without setting foot in the middle.
Ngidi is a big part of the Proteas pace attack and heading into the Cup in two months time, the 27-year-old’s lack of game is a growing concern.
The Dehli Capitals didn’t field Ngidi in two consecutive Indian Premier League seasons, and now, the San Francisco Unicorns went through the inaugural MLC campaign without Ngidi’s services on the field of play.
Having played in the 2019 Cup, Ngidi’s spot in the Proteas team, not just in the bowling group, becomes even more important seeing that he is one of the few Proteas players with ODI Cup experience under the belt.
Whether or not the time Ngidi has spent practicing his craft in the nets in America will benefit him and South Africa remains to be seen.
On the other hand, a number of South Africans who have their names penciled down in the Cup squad were consistently in the playing eleven of their teams in the MLC.
The likes Wayne Parnell got a good amount of game time in a highly competitive league and that is always a positive for South Africa in a Cup year.
Moreover, the Proteas batting order has been worrisome across all three formats in the past couple of years, but their performances in the IPL and the MLC suggest they have turned the corner.
One of the key players in that batting order, Quinton de Kock, has found his groove again after having a relatively quiet summer.
Proteas batter Heinrich Klaasen continued his sublime form with the bat in the MLC and sits third on the top-run scorers list, only behind De Kock and Nicholas Pooran.
The two South Africans scored 499 runs including four fifties between them to go with Klaasen’s unbeaten 110 against the MLC champions MI New York.
On the bowling front, Kagiso Rabada looked sharp in the three matches that he played and has six wickets to show for it.
Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje also displayed good form in the MLC and that can only put a smile on coach Walter’s face two months before the Cup.
The Proteas return to action against Australia in late August.
Sport
