Kagiso Rabada faces testing times as bowling ace pins hopes on Proteas winning silverware

The first six months of this year are set to test the endurance of Proteas bowling ace Kagiso Rabada — barring injury, he will play in three white-ball tournaments and the final of the World Test Championship (WTC).

He began the year with a Test match against Pakistan — which South Africa won by 10 wickets at Newlands. After that, he helped MI Cape Town win their maiden SA20 title.

He will spearhead the Proteas’ attack in the Champions Trophy, which begins in Pakistan and the UAE this week, before tackling two months of action in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Then, from 11-15 June, he will look to win silverware with the national team again in the WTC final against Australia at Lord’s in London, England.

It’s a busy schedule for the champion fast bowler. If he plays every match and makes the final of the Champions Trophy with the Proteas as well as the final of the IPL with the Gujarat Titans he would have played 34 matches in six months.

This is a high number, especially for a fast bowler.

“Nowadays, you have to mark off and understand what is important for you and the team and Cricket South Africa,” Rabada told Daily Maverick.

“You look at that triangle and you see what’s going to be deemed as very important and what’s not in the fixtures for the year. And then you decide when you’re going to play.

“Unfortunately, this first half of the year, there’s nothing that I can get out of.”

Rabada did miss the two tri-match series the Proteas recently lost, against New Zealand and Pakistan, with only two days separating the SA20 final and the first match against Pakistan.

“That’s the only series I could miss,” he said.

“Otherwise, IPL … was a personal thing. And then moving forward into the Champions Trophy, that’s for the team, that’s for the country and same at the WTC. So, that’s how it’s going to go down.”

Kagiso Rabada celebrates following the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 30 October 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo: Alex Davidson / Getty Images)

All formats

Across the packed schedule, the pace ace is playing every format of the game. The middle one, 50-over cricket, is the one he has played least across the last few seasons.

Since the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023, Rabada has played only two ODIs, both against Pakistan in December last year.

“It will take some getting used to again,” Rabada said about the Champions Trophy. South Africa play Afghanistan on Friday and Rabada is expected to be the Proteas’ main man with the ball.

“But with the amount of games that I’ve played, you would imagine that I would have a pretty good idea of how it should go down.

“But in saying that, I still have to do my homework on the conditions and how I feel like I’m going to go about it to be … as effective as possible, because in your career, you never stop learning.

“That’s my responsibility. And I hope I can learn from the people who I identify that can do that. But at the end of the day, I am responsible for that.”

After the conclusion of the IPL, there are only two weeks before the WTC final — a quick switch from the shortest format to the longest format, and the biggest match of Rabada’s red-ball career.

The gap between the SA20 and the Champions Trophy was only 11 days, while there was just a two-day break between day four of the Test match against Pakistan and the start of the SA20.

“There’s always going to be a challenge thrown your way,” Rabada said about his attitude to adjusting quickly.

“It’s just about finding a manner in which to do it, that’s what I’ve learned. It’s not about saying, ‘Oh, this is hard.’ It’s about saying, ‘Well, how do we find a way to do it? How am I going to do it?’, by not just seeing this as a job, but actually wanting to thrive.

“Then you’ll find ways because you’ll feel different at different stages.”

It all comes to a head in June at Lord’s with the final of an International Cricket Council tournament, the men’s team’s first since they won the Champions Trophy in 1998.

“That’s going to be real special,” Rabada said. “I don’t even know how to put it into words.

“But if there’s anything that I’ve learned in my career, it’s not to think about it too much, but yes, it will be special.

“It’s just about the planning and how effective that is going to be. Then rock up on game day, being clear, and committing 100% to whatever you want to commit to.”

Leading man

Despite the bustling schedule, Rabada’s not just going through the motions. He was one of MI Cape Town’s shining performers in a star-studded side.

“To end off in this fashion, especially the way we were winning. We weren’t just winning by small margins, we were winning by big margins.  We were dominant and played with great style so I loved it,” said Rabada.

He took 12 wickets in eight spells of bowling at an economy rate of 6.53, better than any of the other top 10 wicket-takers. In the final, he took four wickets and conceded only 25 runs.

“It’s not easy when you apply yourself game in, game out with the one goal of winning a tournament and you’re doing it throughout a specific amount of time,” he said.

“That’s not easy. However, we made it worth it in the team. Everyone was willing to give that energy and to give that effort and that’s what got us through.”

What’s driven the bowling sensation to continuously push for excellence despite already being one of the best fast bowlers of his generation?

“I think it’s a bit of everything,” Rabada said. “It’s the way that I see things. And I think it’s also the way that I’ve been raised.

“But I’ve always been free to exercise the way I want to live and I’ve done that.

“It’s been a contribution of everything. What I’ve seen in my life and what has caught an interest to me, things that have inspired me, growing up in my family, those things have shaped me.” DM