The South African bowler Kagiso Rabada will be leading the bowling attack due to the absence of Anrich Nortjie and Sisanda Magala in the upcoming World Cup 2023.
Kagiso Rabada on South Africa’s World Cup challenges
South Africa had recently completed their five-match ODI series against Australia 3-2 and are preparing for their Warmup games. With the South Africa Squad announced, the fast bowlers Anrich and Sisanda are ruled out of the World Cup squad due to their injury.
Nortje has suffered a stress fracture in back after experiencing spams during the second ODI match against Australia. Sisanda Magala was injured in the third ODI match against Australia. Hence Andile Phehlukwayo and Lizaad Williams have been included in the 15-member squad. In the absence of Anrich, the bowling squad will be led by Rabada to face the challenges on Indian pitches.
The Pacer Rabada has some experience in the Indian pitches as he played in IPL. He had played 92 ODIs and has taken 144 wickets. Even though, South Africa has never won the ICC trophy they managed to emerge as one of the strongest teams for competing in the upcoming World Cup.
On this occasion, the pacer Kagiso Rabada believes they could pull out the victory in the upcoming World Cup despite the absence of the key players.
“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 and competing for one prize, and we are up for the challenge.”
“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 realize 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. 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 honor,” he concluded.
South Africa will be playing warmup games before heading to the tournament. They will be facing Afghanistan on September 29 and will be facing New Zealand on October 2 at Greenfield Stadium.
