Test captain Temba Bavuma of South Africa has backed Kagiso Rabada in the T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand despite his modest results so far in the tournament.
Rabada has had a tough T20 World Cup. He took just four wickets in six matches at an average of 47.25 and an economy rate of 7.98. He was also rested in the South African Super Eight final where teenager Kwena Maphaka and Anrich Nortje appeared as cover.
RABADA LUCKY SO FAR
Bavuma quickly defended his pace. He pointed out that several catches fell off Rabad’s bowling, which hurt his figures significantly.
“I think he was also unlucky that there were a lot of dropped catches in his bowling. His characters could have looked completely different. From a captain’s point of view, I would not be unhappy with his performances,” Bavuma told ANI.
The captain also praised a collective effort by the Proteas pace attack. The group consists of Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Anrich Nortje.
“If you look at the way Lungi performed, Marco performed, Bosch performed, those guys were great. It’s a rare occasion when you have four great guys in the team at the same time. Even in his last appearance against the West Indies, Rabada was one of the standouts,” he said.
RABAD WILL RISE
Bavuma emphasized that Rabada remains an inspirational figure in the team. Temper has 12 years of international experience and has 590 goals to his name. His presence, Bavuma said, gives the team a complete package.
The captain also noted that big occasions bring out the best in Rabada. He pointed to the WTC finale as proof.
“He is an inspirational figure in the team. With players like him, the pressure comes on big occasions. When he was watched during the Test World Cup final, he produced a man-of-the-match performance. If I was a betting man, I would definitely put money on him to do something special,” Bavuma said.
The record supports that belief. In the ICC qualifiers, Rabada took 15 wickets in five games. In those matches he averages 18.06, has five wickets and four wickets. He was never without a goal South Africa in an ICC knockout match.
His nine-wicket haul in the WTC final against Australia at Lord’s remains his standout knock. A spell of 2/14 in three matches against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final is also among his best.
Rabada is also just 10 wickets away from becoming the fifth South African to reach 600 international wickets.
The knockout stage consistently brought out the best in him. Wednesday will be no different.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
04 March 2026 15:17 IST
