Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has appreciated a relatively successful return to international cricket.

Ngidi was ruled out of the four-Test series against England earlier this year, after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Tshwane Spartan’s 2019 Mzansi Super League campaign.

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‘The road back to cricket wasn’t as hard for me as some people might think. I am not shy to work hard. It wasn’t an unfamiliar area for me. I didn’t feel as though I was down and out,’ said Ngidi.

‘I’ve figured out that I have to work a lot harder than other people. It doesn’t come as naturally. I have always been pretty strong mentally, so I didn’t have any issues there. I’ve just put my focus on what I have to do and I seem to have reaped the benefits over the last few games we played.’

The 24-year-old right-armer performed well in the subsequent limited-overs series against England, especially during the T20I leg with eight wickets in three fixtures. He later relished ODI career-best figures of 6-58 against Australia in Bloemfontein, surpassing the 4-51 taken against India in Port Elizabeth two years prior.

‘If I were to rate my performance over the last summer, I’d probably rate it a six. It was good, but for me personally it was not good enough. There were a few games in which I could have gone for fewer runs. I picked up a few wickets, that is my job, but it is not the finished product. I still feel like I can do a whole lot more and do a whole lot better,’ added Ngidi.

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