Injured Lungi Ngidi ruled out of home summer

The 28-year-old South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out of the home summer due to a groin injury. 

After the conclusion of the ongoing home T20I series against India, South Africa will host Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series. Then Pakistan will tour South Africa for a three-match T20I series, a three-match ODI series, and a two-match Test series. 

Both the home Test series will be a part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. Both Sri Lanka and South Africa are fighting to grab the spots for the Final of the ongoing WTC edition, which Lord’s will host in June 2025. The home Test series against Sri Lanka will begin on November 27, and South Africa will host the last Test against Pakistan from January 3. 

Lungi Ngidi can return to the game in January

According to the Cricket South Africa (CSA) press release, Lungi Ngidi recently had a medical assessment where the scans revealed bilateral proximal adductor tendinopathy. He is expected to return to the game in January 2025. So, he is likely to be fit for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which has been scheduled in February in Pakistan. 

Ngidi is one of the crucial names in the South African pace bowling line-up. Since his international cricket debut in January 2017, Ngidi has played 19 Tests, 62 ODIs, and 43 T20Is, where the right-arm pacer has taken 55, 96, and 63 wickets, respectively. 

During the first two editions of the ICC World Test Championship, Ngidi took 17 wickets in six games (2019-2021) and 19 wickets in seven Tests (2021-2023). In the ongoing WTC, Ngidi has played only two Tests and picked up four wickets. 

Temba Bavuma is developing positively

In the meantime, the Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma is positively developing his fitness. He missed out on the Test series against the hosts Bangladesh due to a left elbow injury. South Africa won the two-match Test series in the Bangladesh tour by 2-0 and added crucial points in the 2023-2025 ICC WTC points table.

Bavuma will undergo a fitness test on Monday (November 18), where the CSA will determine his chance to present in the upcoming home Test series against Sri Lanka.