NZ vs SA: Lungi Ngidi ruled out of second Test with back strain

A back strain has ruled out South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi of the second and final Test against New Zealand. South Africa lost the first Test match by a massive margin of an innings and 276 runs in Christchurch. Going into the second Test match which is also to be played at the same venue, Ngidi’s absence could come off as a big blow to the already depleted South African team looking to salvage a drawn series result.

The 25-year-old paceman had also missed out on playing in the first Test last week. South Africa went into the game with a considerably weaker bowling attack with both Ngidi and another regular bowler in Anrich Nortje not being available owing to their respective injury concerns.

Shedding light on the status of Ngidi’s recovery, the South African captain Dean Elgar stated that it could be difficult for the bowler to carry out his preparations by Test match standards, having not got the chance to go out and bowl last week. Terming it as a setback for his side, Elgar revealed the bowler is only being able to bowl with a short run-up at this time and not training with the squad.

“Because he hasn’t been able to bowl last week, I don’t think his bowling loads are up to the standard of preparing for Test matches,” Elgar told reporters.

“He hasn’t been training with us, he’s only been bowling of a short run-up, which has been a bit of a setback for us. We know Lungi’s been a key figure within our bowling lineup. So, it’s a bit disappointing that he’s in the situation that he is in now,” he added.

I’m sure there are guys who are a little bit low in confidence: Dean Elgar

In their previous Test, South Africa’s plans with the ball failed as their four-bowler pace attack could not restrict New Zealand to a more acceptable score than the 482 they eventually put up on the board in their first innings. However, it was their batting that let them down excessively. The Proteas batting lineup folded for a meagre 95 runs in the first innings and could only manage 111 runs in their second outing.

The Test team that is coming off a spirited 2-1 series win against a strong Indian side have been affected by the absence of a few important members that were instrumental in South Africa’s last victory. Elgar further commented on the form that the South African batters showed in the previous match suggesting it could well have dampened their confidence having put out a below-average performance in the first game. The skipper’s comments hinted at a few possible changes to the playing eleven for the second Test that is to begin on 25th February.

“I’m sure there are guys who are a little bit low in confidence, especially from a batting point of view,” stated Elgar after his side register their second-worst Test defeat ever.