Lungi Ngidi lights up gloomy Lord’s to provide Proteas with glimmer of hope in World Test Championship final

LONDON: The entire motivation behind the World Test Championship is for the values of the five-day game to be preserved and cherished. 

In its purest form, that means highly-skilled bowlers and batters constantly testing each other.

It is understood that without one, the other will cease to exist. 

Tell that to the capacity crowds that have been utterly enthralled on two consecutive days of this pulsating World Test Championship final between the Proteas and Australia that is stuck in overdrive.

Fourteen wickets fell on Wednesday’s opening day, and it was perfectly matched on Thursday in the British capital. 

But it was the five sticks that fell between tea and drinks in 14 intoxicating overs that was spellbinding.

Ridiculed from all quarters for his listless performance in the first innings, Lungi Ngidi rose like a phoenix from the ashes in the gloom of St John’s Wood.

With the floodlights bearing down from above the pavilions, the famed old ground was transformed into a gladiatorial-like coliseum. 

Australia had moved seemingly into a comfortable position at 32/2 – beefed up by a 74-run lead after earlier sending the Proteas crashing to 138 all out – with two of their most senior batters in Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith at the crease.

Enter Ngidi. His fast-bowling partner Kagiso Rabada, who had worked his way up the list of South Africa’s greatest fast bowlers list with a second five-wicket haul on day one, had offered the sage advice on Monday evening that Ngidi should shake off his opening disappointment by having “a good night’s sleep, a nice steak, a nice milkshake, watch a movie and come back tomorrow”.

Whether Ngidi indeed had the milkshake and steak is yet to be confirmed, but he certainly was a different beast that charged in from the Nursery End for nine consecutive overs. 

Considering that the 29-year-old had played just two Tests in this entire WTC cycle, and had to endure Proteas pace legend Dale Steyn tweeting that his run-up “needs serious work” and that it was in fact “pedestrian”, it was a phenomenal comeback story that yielded three crucial wickets.

Ngidi certainly seized his moment, which was kickstarted by the dismissal of Australia’s premier batter Smith.

It required the umpire’s initial lbw decision to be overturned upon review, but the magnitude of the wicket was not lost on Ngidi and the Proteas.

Labuschagne had already fallen to Marco Jansen for the second time in the match, which allowed Temba Bavuma’s men to believe that they found a way back into this WTC final. 

Ngidi’s two further strikes, trapping Beau Webster in front and yorking Pat Cummins, certainly fuelled the belief even further as Australia slumped to 73/7 for an overall lead of just 147 and only three wickets remaining. 

Australia’s rapid capitulation had the Mount and Tavern Stands in raptures, with the majority South African support finding their voices again after being silenced during the afternoon session, when Cummins had done a wrecking job on the Proteas middle-to-lower order.

Resuming on 43/4, the Proteas had battled through the first session gamely, showing far greater intent that the previous evening, with skipper Bavuma launching the counter-attack with a couple of exquisite, lofted cover drives. 

But having lived by the sword, Bavuma ultimately fell on it when he spooned a chance to a diving Labuschagne at cover point to be dismissed for 36 off 84 balls (4x4, 1x6).

It was Cummins’ first wicket of the morning, and he would quickly add a further four after the lunch interval to finish with the fabulous figures of 6/28 and in the process join Australia’s elite 300-wicket club.

The drama continued right up into the final over, with Wiaan Mulder finding Mitchell Starc’s outside edge, but Marco Jansen spilled the simplest of chances to leave the Proteas still needing two wickets to close off the Australian innings. 

What it has done, though, is set up an intriguing third day – which in all likelihood could be the last - with Australia 218 runs ahead and with two wickets remaining before the Proteas begin their run-chase to hopefully be crowned World Test champions.

WTC FINAL

Day 2, Stumps

Australia: 212 & Australia 144/8 (Carey 43* Ngidi 3/35, Rabada 3/46)

South Africa: 138 all out (Bedingham 45, Bavuma 36, Cummins 6/28)

Australia lead by 218 runs