Lungi Ngidi Ruled Out of Australia Series with Injury

South Africa have suffered a major blow ahead of their upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, with experienced fast bowler Lungi Ngidi ruled out of the ODI squad due to a right hamstring injury. He is the third South African pacer to be sidelined for the series after Kagiso Rabada and Ottniel Baartman.

Ngidi sustained the injury during the opening match of the domestic first-class season last week, when the Titans faced the Dolphins. Following scans conducted on Wednesday, medical officials advised him to undergo rehabilitation. In that match, Ngidi bowled eight overs in the first innings and 8.3 overs in the second innings for the Dolphins, considerably fewer than the workloads of the team’s other two frontline pacers, Marco Jansen (26 overs) and Beyers Swanepoel (20.3 overs).

Although Ngidi spent periods of the match off the field, he returned late in the game. Coincidentally, Baartman also suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Dolphins in the same match and was unable to bat.

Twenty-year-old promising pacer Nqobani Mokoena has been called up to the ODI squad as Ngidi’s replacement. Mokoena recently made his ODI debut during South Africa’s tour of Namibia. In a first-class match against Western Province, he bowled 19 overs on the opening day and took one wicket for 78 runs. He was subsequently instructed to join the national team, with Bayanda Majola replacing him in that match.

Marco Jansen will lead South Africa’s pace attack in the series against Australia. He will be joined in the squad by his twin brother Duan Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee and young pacer Kwena Maphaka.