Sunday Times - March 2 2014
TELFORD VICE, Cape Town
“He’s tall, he’s mean, he’s black, and he’s fast.” That’s according to Geoff Toyana. He’s Kagiso Rabada, and if the Lions coach has his way he’s going nowhere.
“We’ve got four (franchise first-class) games left this season and I think he’ll play in two of them,” Toyana said. “He’s been told he’s getting a contract - a full contract, not a junior contract.”
We get it, Geoff. You want to hang onto this one. Who wouldn’t.
Rabada has bowled up a storm for SA at the under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. His 13 wickets at an average of 9.07 going into yesterday’s final between SA and Pakistan was a major reason in his team’s success. Rabada took six of the best in the semi-final against Australia including their entire top order.
“My plan was to stick to line and length and bowl fast,” Rabada said afterwards. Mission accomplished.
Toyana said he spoke to Rabada on Friday, and came away satisfied that “his feet are still on the ground”. Keeping them there will be the challenge, what with a Google search on the 18-year-old’s name already yielding 34500 hits.
Rabada has played a one-dayer and a T20 for Gauteng, but he has yet to make his first-class debut. He has risen through the provincial ranks from under-15 to under-17 to under-19 level, and has played one test and - before yesterday - 12 one-dayers for SA at under-19 level.
As the manager of the first XI at St Stithians, Barry Lambson has accompanied Rabada on much of that journey.
“He didn’t take that many wickets at school level, but he always had the scare factor,” Lambson said, and backed up his claim with a vivid example.
“We were playing against Noord-Kaap, and one of their batsman was teeing-off. Kagiso came on and bounced him - the ball went straight through the visor.
“The batsman ran down the pitch, dived at the bowler’s end, and shouted, ‘Concussed!’ He was taken off to hospital.”
As a respected umpire of several decades’ standing, Lambson has seen many young players come and go. Did Rabada have what it might take to make the grade?
“He has all the skills to be a fast bowler at the top level, but time will tell,” Lambson said. “Players get looked after at school level, but when they get out into the real world it can be a different story.”
Not that cricket is anything like the real world, but indications are that the Lions are mindful of easing Rabada into the game’s strange reality as well they can.
Although he labelled Rabada “the next big thing after Quinton de Kock”, Toyana understood that, “Mfuneko Ngam (the oft-injured former test fast bowler) was pushed too quickly, and we all know what happened with Mfuneko. We need to be smart with this kid.”
Both Toyana and Lambson described Rabada as “laid-back” and both highlighted his batting ability. He augments his right-arm fast with left-handed batting that was good enough for him to be hoisted to No. 5 and 6 in the St Stithians batting order.
So much for the easy stuff. For Rabada to continue to be noticed he will have to find a way to stick out in a country where quality fast bowlers are hardly scarce.
The game’s uncomfortable relationship with race - only five black Africans have played test cricket for SA, and a few days ago Thami Tsolekile had his national contract cancelled without once having played for SA while he was on Cricket SA’s books - will doubtless get in the way of his career.
But without hope we are nothing. And that’s what Rabada is now: hope.
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