Lungi Ngidi in contention for selection for Titans

Emerging Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi will be in contention for selection when the Titans host Warriors in their Momentum One Day Cup clash at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Friday afternoon.

Ngidi has been sidelined by an abdominal muscle injury he sustained during the third T20 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town in January which resulted in him missing the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand.

“He is back training but a decision as to whether he will play or not against the Warriors on Friday will be taken at a later stage after consultation with the medical staff," said Titans assistant coach Mandla Mashimbyi on Wednesday.

"We don’t want to put him under pressure to return to competitive cricket and cause more harm.

"We will be directed by our medical staff as to when he is ready to return to play cricket again‚” said Mashimbyi.

• Is Klaasen set for a call-up to the SA Test squad for the New Zealand series?Heinrich Klaasen's absence at the Titans training session while Heino Kuhn and Rivaldo Moonsamy took turns with the gloves fuelled suspicion that the up and coming Titans wicketkeeper will be named in the Test squad for the New Zealand series. 

Titans host Warriors on the back of two successive bonus-point victories against the Cobras and Lions‚ wins that propelled them to the top of the standings.

But Mashimbyi said they have forgotten about those victories.

“We don’t want to dwell too much on what has happened because the campaign is still long and our focus is on the coming matches‚" he said.

"We are focused on the coming matches where we have to do well to ensure that we are up there in the closing stages of the competition.”

• Proteas prospect Ngidi is 'recovering well'Highly promising Proteas and Titans fast bowler Lungi Ngidi posted on social media post on Tuesday afternoon that he was recovering well from a left abdominal muscle wall injury that he sustained on national duty recently. 

Friday’s match will be the first for the Titans in Benoni this year in this competition and Mashimbyi said they are expecting similar conditions to SuperSport Park in Centurion where they played their opening two home matches so far.

“Obviously the atmosphere is not the same as SuperSport Park but we are going there with the mission of getting a win.

"There won’t be too much difference in terms of the pitch conditions‚ what is important for us is to produce the skills and determination that we have been showing in the past games‚” he said.

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport