Harare [Zimbabwe], July 14 (ANI): Known for his pace and crafty bowling, South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi levelled legendary tearaway Dale Steyn’s record for most wickets for Proteas in T20Is after an economical spell against Zimbabwe in the Tri-Series opener on Monday.
Fortune stood by Ngidi’s side for his record-levelling scalp. In the first innings, Wessly Madheve went deep into his crease while trying to work out the angle for his shot. Unfortunately for Madheve, his back foot touched the stumps and ignited the bails, forcing him to return on 1(9).
He hardly leaked runs and finished with figures of 1/15 in his four-over spell. Ngidi’s tally for the Proteas in T20Is soared to 64 scalps. He became the joint third-highest alongside Steyn in the charts, with the duo boasting 64 wickets each. While Steyn achieved the feat in 47 matches, Ngidi (44) took three fewer to arrive at the milestone.
Left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi sits at the top of the summit with 89 wickets from 70 matches. South Africa’s mainstay Kagiso Rabada follows with a tally of 71 in 65 games.
Zimbabwe tattered but found solace in skipper Sikandar Raza’s unbeaten 54 from 38. Ryan Burl played the second fiddle with his hard-fought 29(20) to stitch up a 66-run partnership. They blended caution with aggression, kept the scoreboard ticking and propelled the hosts to 141/6.
In reply, Richard Ngarava lured the explosive Lhuan-dre Pretorious to miscue his shot straight back to the bowler and dragged himself off the field for a golden duck. Reeza Hendricks (11) and captain Rassie van der Dussen (16) joined the youngster in the dressing room at lightning-quick speed as South Africa limped to 38/3 after the powerplay.
South Africa, desperate for a partnership, turned the tide in their favour through debutant Rubin Hermann and swashbuckler Dewald Brevis. Hermann exuded composure while Brevis provided the fireworks by adopting a belligerent mindset.
He conjured three successive towering maximums off Ryan Burl. His quick-fire exploits met a bitter end. He dispatched the ball into Brian Bennett’s hands and returned with an expeditious 41(17). Ngarava flattened Hermann’s off stump to punch his return ticket on 45(37).
However, the duo had caused irreparable damage by that point. Corbin Bosch and George Linde applied the finishing touches to steer South Africa to a five-wicket triumph, with more than four overs to spare. (ANI)
