Anil Kumble lauds South Africa's bowling attack in Champions Trophy
What's the story
Former Indian cricket team captain and coach Anil Kumble has lauded South Africa's pace trio of Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi.
He called them a "complete attack" for the difficult conditions of the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025.
Kumble's praise came after South Africa's remarkable performance against England on Saturday, which ensured their spot in the semi-finals.
Here are the details.
Unique strengths
Kumble highlights the unique strengths of SA bowlers
Kumble emphasized on the unique strengths of each bowler during ESPNcricinfo's Match Day show.
He said all three pacers are tall and provide different angles, making them a lethal combination in one-day cricket.
"Rabada is very classical whereas Ngidi is pretty awkward to face with his action and Marco Jansen comes at such height," Kumble said.
He added this variety makes it difficult for batters even on flat tracks.
Rising star
Kumble praises Jansen's performance and potential
Kumble also lauded Jansen's performance in the match against England, where he sent their top three back inside seven overs.
He called Jansen a "complete package" for South Africa with his contributions with bat and ball.
"He has improved a lot with his batting as well. He has contributed with the bat on many occasions for South Africa," Kumble said, emphasizing Jansen's potential at No. 7 or No. 8 in the batting order.
Jansen
Jansen's three early scalps put England on back foot
Jansen's phenomenal bowling saw him pick three wickets upfront, leaving England at a vulnerable 37/3 in the first seven overs.
England had elected to bat first. This early blow heavily affected England's chances of making a comeback at any point in the match.
Joe Root was the top scorer for his side with a paltry 37 runs, but other big names like captain Jos Buttler (21), Ben Duckett (24), and Jofra Archer (25) failed to deliver.
Ngidi
Ngidi attains this feat for South Africa in ODIs
Ngidi completed 100 wickets for South Africa in ODIs. Ngidi reached the landmark versus England.
His first and only wicket in the match marked this milestone. As per Cricbuzz, Ngidi is now the second-fastest Proteas bowler to 100 wickets in ODI cricket (in terms of balls).
The Proteas seamer too 3,048 balls, only behind Morne Morkel (2,859). Ngidi went past Imran Tahir, who attained the feat in 3,050 deliveries.
Performance
SA pacers have done well in CT 2025
Wiaan Mulder, who picked three wickets in the clash versus England, leads the tally for South Africa in Champions Trophy 2025. He owns 5 scalps from 2 matches at 12.20.
Across two games, Jansen and Rabada own 4 wickets each at 17.75 and 19.50 respectively.
Meanwhile, Ngidi owns three scalps from two games at 29-plus.
Overall, SA pacers have accounted for 16 wickets in the ongoing tourney.