CHENNAI: The slower delivery of pacers in T20 cricket can be considered a double-edged sword. The delivery is high-risk but the rewards can win matches. It also has little room for error. Miss the length by millimetres, and the ball is bound to fly high into the sky, towards the stands. In the present era of T20s, where most of the teams play an aggressive brand of cricket, batters know how to punish such balls.
But someone who has mastered the dipping slower ball could convert it into just another dot ball, which would be crucial in high-pressure situations. One such pacer who has been on the right side of things is Delhi Capitals' Lungi Ngidi.
In the T20 World Cup earlier, the Proteas pacer, who can bowl at around 140KPH, consistently deceived batters with his slower ones. He concluded his WC campaign with 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.19. This season with Delhi he has continued to make life difficult for batters. In four games so far, the 30-year-old has scalped five wickets, with an economy rate of 8.04.
While his skills are there to see, his mindset and confidence to bowl such balls comes from the time he puts in during training. Additionally, bowling at the powerplay and at the death overs, where bowlers in most cases tend to not have the edge over the batters, has also been a contributing factor to his positive mindset. "It takes a lot mentally (to execute slow balls). It’s a brave ball to bowl because when you get it wrong, it can become a low full toss or a slot ball and go for a boundary. The confidence comes from preparation. I’ve been doing it for years and I’m used to bowling under pressure," he told in a media interaction on Thursday.
"I bowl in the powerplay and at the death, so it’s always high-risk. Like the coach says, someone has to do the dirty job, and I guess that’s my role. So I have to find ways to succeed in those situations. That includes variations, changing grips, and trying different things. The game is evolving, and you can’t keep doing the same thing. Mentally, you have to be strong, and skill-wise, you have to execute well," he added.
He added the slower ball into his weaponry at his time with Chennai Super Kings in 2018, at the insistence of Dwayne Bravo. Ngidi said he has worked on it for 'years.' "It’s just that I have probably added a bit more flight and revs to it. Whether I bowl it on a length or fuller, it’s still the same slower ball. It did take a lot of practice. A lot of guys ask me how I do it, and I think they feel it’s easy because they see guys try to bowl it from the first ball of their run-up. For me, it took almost close to a year to build the confidence to deliver this ball," he said.
As Delhi Capitals travel to play defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday, Ngidi's bowling will be an impetus if they are to crack open the hosts' strong batting lineup.