THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kagiso Rabada will lead South Africa’s bowling attack in the absence of two key pacers at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
South Africa will be without the services of ace pacers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala at the World Cup. In their absence, the onus will be on Kagiso Rabada to lead the pace attack.
Despite missing key players, Rabada remains optimistic about South Africa’s chances at the World Cup. The Proteas haven’t gotten their hands on the coveted trophy yet but the tearaway pacer has his eyes set on the big prize, says a report on icc-cricket.com.
“One thing we have never lacked as South Africans is belief, so going into the tournament we do believe we can win it,” said Rabada. “We’ve got the players to do so, so hopefully we can make our first final and win this competition. It’s going to be hard but it’s going to be really enjoyable.
“It’s exciting to have the best players in the world playing against each other competing for one prize, and we are up for the challenge.”
The Proteas have been in great ODI form lately, most recently winning 3-2 against Australia after being 2-0 down.
In fact, since the start of the year, South Africa are yet to lose an ODI series and have seen their efforts rewarded in the MRF Tyres Men’s ICC Team Rankings as they head into the World Cup as the No.4 team.
Rabada will be playing his second World Cup but doesn’t have very fond memories of his maiden appearance in 2019. He picked up only 11 wickets in nine games and South Africa failed to make it to the semi-finals, finishing seventh out of the 10 teams.
Rabada candidly admitted that he wasn’t at his best the last time around but hopes to make amends in the upcoming edition.
“The 2019 World Cup was my first and I wasn’t successful at all,” Rabada added. “The lesson I took from that is that team cohesion is the most important factor, because individuals don’t win World Cups, teams do.
“The older I have become and the more caps I have, the more I realise that I am a leader in that environment.
“Through knowing my own strengths and reinforcing them, knowing what makes me tick and through lending an ear to other players, I want to help set how we play as a collective.”
The experience of Rabada is going to be key for the bowling group, with the pacer having played 27 international games across formats in India to go with multiple stints in the Indian Premier League.
South Africa too have travelled to India a lot lately, having played 11 white-ball games in India since the start of 2022.
“It does help when you understand the conditions in the various grounds, and having played in India for all these years, it gives you a familiarity on how to go about your tactics,” he concluded.
“The majority of our team has played in India, but for those who haven’t played as much, it is important to share experiences.
“In India you have drier conditions and they are batter-friendly wickets, so it’s about finding ways to be successful.
“Managing the noise and distractions is really important and I think it’s just about focus and not letting the crowd get to you. But at the same time, it is exciting to be playing in packed stadiums with tens of thousands of screaming fans – it’s an honour.”
South Africa begin their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on October 7 in Delhi. Before that, they will play two warm-up games, the first of which will be played on Friday (tomorrow) against Afghanistan followed by New Zealand on October 2.
