'Didn't step on anyone's toes' - Lungi Ngidi on criticism for supporting 'Black Lives Matter' movement

South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi is one of the talented pacers on the Proteas side and has given many match-winning performances for his country. The right-arm pacer has now talked about the racism he had to face and former South African players criticising him for his stance on the ‘Black Lives Matter movement.

Ngidi also talked about the racism his parents had to face and emphasised the fact that some of the stories he heard from his parents were heart-wrenching. However, that did not stop Ngidi from achieving his goals, as the pacer went on to represent his country at the international level.

The stories my parents shared were eye-opening and painful to hear: Lungi Ngidi

“My dad was a petrol attendant, and a white customer wouldn’t even put the money in his hand. He just threw it on the floor,” Ngidi said in an interview with The Guardian.

“I don’t think I’ll ever lose that story. It was just so degrading. For my dad to go on in life as if everything’s fine took a lot of courage, but this is how they raised me. The stories they shared were eye-opening and painful to hear because those scars never really close up,” he added.

The right-arm pacer also said that several former cricketers criticized him for his stance on the ‘Black Lives Matter movement.

“I was very surprised because I didn’t step on anyone’s toes. I didn’t attack anyone. But I understand the history of our country, and racism is a factor within South Africa that needs to be addressed. I remembered those stories my parents had told me and I would hate for my friends or any of my future family to go through the same thing,” said Ngidi.

He has played 35 ODIs and 25 T20Is for South Africa and has taken 61 and 40 wickets respectively, while he also has 47 wickets in 13 Tests.