Rabada: Shy destroyer, heart of a lion
Shaun Pollock says he wishes he had the same understanding of his action when he was 20 years old as Rabada does now.
|||Johannesburg - Kagiso Rabada looked down at the ground shyly when his captain told him to lead the team off after he had put England to the sword.
He gave a shy wave with both hands as he was treated to an ovation, and then bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time, to the changeroom. If he was as exhausted as everyone kept making out, then South Africa’s newest bowling star certainly wasn’t showing it.
He had bowled a lot. Michael Holding, on TV commentary, worried that the 20-year old was being worked too much. He bowled 17 overs on Sunday, 29 in total, five more than Dane Piedt and Morne Morkel, and 10 more than Kyle Abbott, who left the field with a tight right hamstring and did not bowl for the rest of the innings. The youngster was surely shattered.
“I wasn’t that tired,” said Rabada. “Obviously, I will be a little bit tired. I was in the field for a long time and it’s pretty normal to get tired.”
You get the impression he would have bowled many more if he had been asked to by AB de Villiers, but with a talent so special and South African cricket currently in an uncertain, transitional place, there are calls to wrap him in cotton wool. “I could have bowled another 10 overs,” was Rabada’s answer.
Shaun Pollock, who made his Test debut here 21 years ago, said on television that he wished he had the same understanding of his action when he was 20 years old as Rabada does now. Pollock also praised Rabada’s wise head and awareness of his role.
The young fast bowler paid tribute to his fellow quickies. With five wickets at the Wanderers and seven here, Rabada did not think he had “arrived”, and thought the other seamers would have been deserving of the seven-wicket haul.
“I thought Abbo and Morne bowled better than I did. They were controlling the run-rate, and keeping things in check. I wasn’t expecting to get a seven-fer. I just stuck to the basics and the wicket helped a bit. It is a little bit up and down.
“Yesterday I was bowling too short, especially to Alastair Cook. When you bowl fuller you can get your reward.
“I felt good today. I’ve been feeling very smooth, not feeling like I was forcing anything. The plan this morning was to stick to the basics, get as many balls in the right area. Getting Joe Root out was a big relief because the day before I was all over the place.”
If Abbot could not bowl in England’s second innings, he would just bowl more overs, Rabada said. Had De Villiers given him licence to be the attacking bowler? “I don’t know if I am the attacking bowler, but I know AB backs me. I was bowling too short, that’s not attacking. Guys kept cutting me and pulling me.”
His favourite wicket on Sunday was Ben Stokes, a beauty that seamed off the pitch and was edged to Hashim Amla in the slips. The reason why was not so simple.
Why Stokes? “For many reasons, he’s a magnificent player, as he showed in Cape Town. I have played against him for SA A against the (England) Lions, and the whole thing started from there.”
What things? “A whole lot of things. There are many reasons.” There is some history between these two. It could be a rivalry for years to come.
Rabada will be hoping to put his feet up for a good part of Monday as South Africa seek to build up a lead to put England under pressure on a pitch that is deteriorating and will be hard to bat on on the final day.
Cape Argus