ULungi Ngidi unqwenela into inye jwiii….

Urhasatsha womdlali omtsha kwiqela lesizwe loMzantsi Afrika,
uLungi Ngidi, unomnqweno omnye jwi emva kokudlala umdlalo wakhe wokuqala wovavanyo.
Le ndodana yakwaNgidi yenze ezibukwayo ngethuba ingcwaba iqela lesizwe
lase-India iyodwa ngethuba iwisa oothinti abathandathu bonke phambi kokugoduka
newonga loyena mdlali oqaqambileyo kusuku lwayizolo. Umsebenzi omhle owenziwe
nguNgidi kumdlalo wakhe wokuqala wovavanyo ushiye abantu abaninzi abalandela
iqakamba bengawuvali umlomo. Ngalo ndlela uMzantsi Afrika uphumelele umdlalo
kumangeno wesibini ngemitsi elikhulu namashumi amathathu nesihlanu (135) eSuperSport Park Stadium, eCenturion.

“Ndinqwenela ukudlala iqakama ithuba elide.” Lo mnqweno awothusi
ngoba uNgidi usokoliswe kukonzakala kakhulu kulo mdlalo weqakamba nangona
esengumdlali oneminyaka engamashumi amabini nanye nje. UNgidi wabonisa iimpawu
zobukhalipha kwimidlalo yeTwenty20 nelizwe laseSri Lanka kunyaka ophelileyo. Ngelishwa
lakhe waye wonzakala, waphoswa lutyelelo lweNew Zealand
– kodwa waya eNgilane – apho waye wonzakala kwakhona. UNgidi ngomnye wabadlali
abanekamva eliqaqambileyo kwicala lokugibisela ibhola yeqakamba eMzantsi Afrika
– kodwa uphoxwa kakhulu kukonzakala. Kodwa nakubeni kunjalo, uNgidi akaphelanga
mandla konke konke.

“Ndiyayazi into yokuba abantu abaninzi bathanda ukuthi
ukunzakala kundiphazamisile. Kum, ingathi kungona ndiqalayo ukudlala iqakamba.
Andazi ukuba bendisenzani ngaphambili – kodwa ngoku ndingatsho ukuba
ndiwufumene umdlalo wam. Ndisekhondweni elihle njengomdlali weqakamba,” utshilo
uNgidi.                                                                                          

UKagiso Rabada noNgidi lo ngabadlali iProteas enokuxhathisa
ngabo kakhulu ngoba banekamva eliqaqambileyo kakhulu kulo mdlalo weqakamba.
Bobabini baveswe zizikolo eziphala phambili kwiqakamba eMzantsi Afrika. UNgidi uphuma
eHilton College ezinze ePietermaritzburg – kanti
yena uRabada uphuma eSt Stithians, eGoli. Kwathi kwakubonakala ukuba uNgidi lo
ubukhali kwiqakamba, iziko lezemfundo eliphakamileyo, iPretoria University,
yamrhwebeshela kuyo – apho enza izifundo zomthetho khona ngoku.   

Ukapteni weProteas, uFaf du Plessis, uyincomile kakhulu indlela
adlale ngayo uNgidi watsho esithi kubalulekile ukuqinisekisa okokuba abadlali
abatsha baziva besekhaya. “Indichulumancisile indlela adlale ngayo kakhulu.
Kubalulekile ukubenza bazive besekhaya abadlali abatsha,” utshilo uDu Plessis.