South Africa’s most senior fast bowler talks about being at the pointy end when no one expected them to
Firdose Moonda15-Nov-20236:18
‘I still do exactly what I would do while opening the bowling’
“Fire versus fire.”That’s how Kagiso Rabada described what happens when South Africa and Australia meet. And he would know.Australia were the first senior international opposition he faced, just over nine years ago. They (along with Sri Lanka) are the team he has taken the most ODI wickets against. And there’s no doubt they are the side who make him see the red mist more than others. Which is why Thursday’s semi-final is special.Related
In-form South Africa face serial winners Australia with history on their shoulders
SA desperate to lift the trophy but accept there is 'no dishonour in losing'
Temba Bavuma on semi-final availability: 'I'm quite confident but it's not a unilateral decision'
Flying under the radar or not, South Africa seem to have figured themselves out
The one (final) upgrade that can take South Africa's bowling from good to exceptional
“This is what you dream of as a kid,” Rabada said in Ahmedabad, where South Africa finished their league campaign in second place. “And we wouldn’t want it any other way. They must bring their best and we will bring ours.”That’s fighting talk from a player at the peak of his powers, playing in his second 50-over World Cup and sixth ICC tournament all told. Rabada’s CV includes three T20 World Cups and the Under-19 50-over tournament in 2014 – to date still the only World Cup South Africa have won. Though his reputation has been built on red-ball performances, and he was ranked the No.1 bowler in Test cricket between 2018 and 2020, he hasn’t always been spoken about as being among the one-day bowling greats, and he wants to change that. Rabada recently earned his 100th ODI cap and it’s this format that he first hoped would bring him the most glory.”There’s always room for 50-over cricket,” he said. “Growing up, that’s what I watched and that’s what inspired me to want to play at this level,” he said. “It was about watching World Cups and watching players perform heroic acts.””There’s always more to it than just 50 overs, and there’s more stories you can build off 50-over cricket”•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesIt has also been about the intricate demands that ODIs put on players and the Goldilocks skills that are required in this format: not too little, not too much, but just right.”The 50-over format tests you a bit more as a player [than T20s]. I feel like there’s more luck that plays a role in T20 cricket. In the 50-over format, you have to play well for a lengthened amount of time.”The best players in the world play all three formats and that’s no surprise to me. You have to maintain your performance over a long space of time. One-day cricket will test you upfront, then it tests you in the middle, and sometimes the ball does reverse a little bit or you can get early wickets upfront and then the wicket maybe flattens out a bit.”There’s always more to it than just 50 overs, and there’s more stories you can build off 50-over cricket. Without criticising T20 cricket, which it has its own flavour, 50-over cricket has proven again that there is huge interest in it.”Although the crowd numbers for several league matches in this tournament may not show it, there have been record audiences both at the grounds and on television. While that may have a lot to do with the home team dominating, it could also be about the expectation that contests will get closer (there have only been three tight games out of 45 so far) and that the battle between bat and ball will become more even. So far there have been signs of the latter because there have been 12 first-innings scores between 250 and 290 (what we may call middling totals) and while tracks have generally been good for batting, there has also been good bounce, turn and movement. In South Africa’s case, it’s the presence of swing in humid conditions that has been particularly pleasing.Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi have taken 24 wickets between them in the World Cup so far•Ishaara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images”The ball normally swings upfront in India, and bowling at night, there seems to be a bit more movement, especially in Mumbai and Pune,” Rabada said. “There has been something there with the new ball”We get caught in this façade that we’re playing in India, especially in the IPL, where it only swings for one or two overs and then it’s done. Now with the two new balls, it swings for a bit longer and there is a bit of nip.”But it’s not Rabada who has been able to take advantage of that swing. Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi have been given the two new balls and Rabada, now the senior-most member of the bowling side, has been moved to first change.He does not see his role as any different, though. “I still try and do exactly what I would do if I was opening the bowling. If anything, the only thing that’s different is bowling towards the back end of the powerplay,” he said, which indicates that is when batters are looking to up the ante before the field is spread.