In his eleventh year of playing for South Africa, fast Kagiso Rabada says that the onus is on Test players outside of the Big Three to play an appealing kind of cricket to keep the format alive. Rabada believes that the longest format is the greatest and wants his colleagues to support its continued growth. He has played 62 Tests, which is less than his total of 101 ODIs and 65 T20Is.
“It is also our responsibility to improve the game. To be very honest, the major three—Australia, England, and India—just happen to have the most money. But you have to be playing good cricket if you want those countries to play against you. Rabada stated, “You have to be fighting for that World Test Championship (WTC) or the ICC mace,” from Trinidad, where South Africa is getting ready to play the West Indies in a two-Test series. It’s one of the ways you can exert control over achieving team equilibrium. Playing good cricket is one thing that the unions can control.”
Like all players in the modern era, Rabada has benefited from and experienced the global shift to Twenty20 cricket. He has participated in four different T20 events over the past seven months—the SA20, IPL, T20 World Cup, and MLC—but not any Tests. This is a condition exclusive to nations who find it difficult to afford to hold international tests. Both West Indies and South Africa fit into that group; West Indies will play the second-fewest number of Tests in the same period—26—while Sri Lanka, with 25 Tests, will have a more flexible schedule. CSA will play a two-Test series for the duration of the 2023–2025 WTC cycle.
The MCC recently convened a World Cricket Connect event, where there was discussion about cutting the number of elite Test teams to six. As a result, South Africa and the West Indies, who placed seventh in the last two World Cup cycles, have cause for concern regarding their long-format future. Rabada, though, is hoping that players may influence the decision-makers with their performances.
“The purpose of cricket is to provide amusement. Sport is all about providing spectators with entertainment. And based on the figures in the subcontinent, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world after football, therefore it’s very likely that cricket is entertaining the fans,” Rabada stated. “And the cricket needs to be fantastic in order for the audience to receive good entertainment. The best sides seem to want to play against each other when excellent cricket is played, in my opinion. Our task is to do well in Test cricket. And you start to gain a good fanbase if you do well in Test cricket.”
The West Indies’ Test victory against Australia in Brisbane in January, according to Rabada, is the kind of match that can stoke a fan base.
“We observed that the West Indies’ victory over Australia reignited interest in the region’s Test cricket. And that simply must happen more often. Following Shamar Joseph’s impressive bowling performance, there were tears and a lot of passion throughout the celebrations. A picture speaks a thousand words about a subject. Therefore, all you need to do to find out is to view those sequences.”
The last time South Africa shown such grandeur was when they defeated India in the Boxing Day Test in December 2023. However, they were unable to complete the task and ultimately shared the series 1-1. During the 2021–22 season, they overcame India at home by chasing record totals at the Wanderers and Newlands, ultimately winning 2-1 despite falling behind. This was their final great series success.
Since about 2017–18, South Africa has not been a consistently competitive force in the longest format, especially when playing against Big Three teams. Rabada has played in 10 or more Tests just twice in his career: in 2017 and 2018. He has played five Tests or fewer in three of the last four years.
Even so, his returns continue to rank among the greatest in the world. Rabada is very close to becoming the sixth South African bowler to reach 300 wickets. He now holds the fourth spot on the ICC Test bowling records. It just takes him nine more. Even though he is trying not to think about it, if he makes it there in the opening Test against the West Indies, he will do it just one Test slower than Dale Steyn and as swiftly as Allan Donald.
“While it will be a significant milestone, I’m not thinking about it right now. It will only be an outcome,” he declared. “All that’s on my mind is making sure I support the squad and manage to deliver a performance. In the end, giving a good performance indicates that I’m contributing and that the team is headed in the right path.”
Playing cricket that cricket fans would want to see, beginning with the West Indies visit, is another aspect of that. Despite a thrilling return to international cricket in 1992 when they played the West Indies, South Africa’s matches have been one-sided ever since and, when they are played in the Caribbean, they usually take place at odd hours for their home fans. With the exception of a single match 32 years ago, the West Indies have never won a Test series against South Africa and haven’t defeated them in a Test match since 2007.
Their last victory over South Africa in the West Indies came in 2001. Rabada’s statement that “We know that we can beat them” is therefore not surprising. We really think we can defeat them, but we also think there’s more at stake than just winning.
Also Read: Rabada: ‘I’m a black player, but I’m not untouchable.’
It also has to do with the game’s future. “My preferred destinations for travel are the Caribbean. I adore visiting this place. This place is rich in cricket and cricketing history “added the speaker. “It will be sad if there are only six (Test) teams and it would be sad to not see West Indies cricket in and amongst the top teams as they used to be because they used to dominate world cricket.”
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