Lungi Ngidi burst puts selection questions to bed

Lungi Ngidi insisted that he knew why he was selected in South Africa's World Test Championship final XI, after he took 3 for 35 on the second day to break Australia's second innings open.

Temba Bavuma had said that Ngidi was picked for his pace and ability to generate extra bounce - "a tactical decision", which is exactly what Ngidi understood his role to be.

"It's been a very long time since I've played Test cricket, ten months, and that's okay with me," Ngidi told BBC after play on day two at Lord's. "Obviously I know why I was selected. It doesn't make a difference to me: opinions, or whatever it is. I was just struggling with a bit of rhythm from this side, swapped ends, and I felt a lot better."

Ngidi last played a Test against West Indies in August last year and looked rusty on comeback in this match. On the first day, he bowled eight overs, in spells of four each, from the Pavillion End and conceded 45 runs at 5.62. Notably, he lacked intensity and left the field for a period of time after bowling his second spell. He returned but did not bowl again.

Considering Dane Paterson's history of success in county cricket (though his 180 wickets came for Nottinghamshire and not Middlesex) and the overhead conditions that would have suited a bowler of his style, there were justifiable questions over whether South Africa had made a tactical blunder. There was also talk about whether they were forced to pick Ngidi to meet transformation requirements.

But, at the end of day two, Ngidi had provided three stunning answers as to why he had been picked. In a nine-over spell - his second longest in Test cricket - Ngidi removed Steven Smith and Beau Webster, both lbw, and yorked Pat Cummins. Australia went from 48 for 3 to 73 for 7 (Wiaan Mulder took a wicket in that period too) and South Africa were back in the game. It looked as though Shukri Conrad, the head coach who is also the sole selector, had seen his gamble come off.

But Ngidi's choice of words in his post-match interview - "I know why I was selected" - didn't help dispel any lingering doubts about why he was picked. ESPNcricinfo has since confirmed he was referring to the plethora of opinions preferring Paterson's skills to his.

There was also no transformation imperative to pick Ngidi as South Africa's targets at national level are calculated on average over the course of a season, which means they do not apply to individual games. The target numbers require that the team fields six players of colour of which two must be black African. In Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, the latter is met. They only have two other players of colour in this XI, Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj, and that would have remained the case even if Paterson was picked instead of Ngidi. While they have not fulfilled their target in this match, their overall average will only be confirmed at the end of the season.

Before the final, Bavuma spoke to ESPNcricinfo about the dangers of being labelled a transformation selection, how he did not understand why it was put on him nine years ago when he made his first century, and the pressure and expectation it created. In the same way, Ngidi's poor performance on day one immediately raised the transformation question: a hangover from the way South African cricket is perceived because of selection decisions in the past.

The 2015 World Cup semi-final, where CSA influenced the inclusion of Vernon Philander ahead of Kyle Abbott, is a standout example, not least because it happened in a crucial game. But Ngidi, an international cricketer for the last eight years and comfortable within himself, was able to put that aside and concentrate on getting things right on day two.

Radaba suggested a "steak, a milkshake and a movie" to Ngidi on the first evening but it turned out to be a change of ends that did the trick. Ngidi bowled from the Nursery End on day two, running up the slope, and was far more effective. His lines were tighter and his lengths more concentrated, mostly just back of good, with the occasional fuller ball for variety. He seemed in the zone, ran in with good energy and looked like he wanted more.

"Once you get a moment like that, you don't want to really let it go because it could change the game," he said. "So I just kept going until my legs pretty much told me that's enough now. I was planning on going a little bit more, but once you start making a few errors that could let the team or the opposition in, then it's probably time to call it."

There was one overpitched ball in Ngidi's seventh over and two edges that dropped short in his eighth and ninth, so he was still effective but clearly tiring. When he ran to field a ball in the over after he had finished his spell, he puffed his way to the ball and the decision to stop was probably the correct one. Nevertheless, his team-mates appreciated the effort especially after a tough first day.

"Lungi's a chilled guy, so I don't think it would have affected him that much," David Bedingham said at the post-match press conference. "As soon as he changed ends, he looked a lot more comfortable and for him to bowl nine overs on the bounce takes a massive amount of effort."

Of the rewards he had, Ngidi enjoyed Smith's wicket the most "because he did get the better of me in the first innings but Beau Webster as well because they were definitely putting me under pressure". "But once I got a bit of rhythm and the ball was moving around a bit, I felt very confident."

There may still be some work to do for Ngidi on the third morning, with South Africa still two wickets from knowing their target. Ngidi hopes they can keep the target to 225 and even if it grows beyond that thinks, "people are going to get their money's worth".

"It's in the balance right now," he said. "But I think we're in a decent position."