On Thursday, Kagiso Rabada said to reporters in Johannesburg, “It’s been a hard year” (December 2). He was right, and 2022 isn’t over for him. Rabada, along with the rest of the South African team, left for Australia shortly after his comments were made in preparation for the Test series that will begin at the Gabba on December 17.
Only Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, David Miller, Aiden Markram, and Quinton de Kock have played more games for South Africa this year than Rabada’s 26. When it comes to seam bowling for national teams in 2022, Rabada has thrown down more balls than any of the other 14 bowlers combined (1,858).
Even still, Rabada is hardly the most hardworking fast bowler in all of international cricket this year. Indeed, Tim Southee, Alzarri Joseph, Mitchell Starc, and Stuart Broad have all thrown more overs than the South African, but their difference is just 29–45. When he’s not on his game, though, Rabada stands out even in a nation as flush with talented quicks as his own.
Perhaps that’s the cost of needing to be at your best all the time, like Rabada. He has played in 20 Test series for South Africa, and 12 times he has been the team’s top wicket-taker. Rabada has more Test wickets (257) than any other fast bowler in the history of the game since he made his debut in Mohali in November 2015. He’s 27, at the peak of his abilities.
At the T20 World Cup in Australia, though, he seemed lifeless and disinterested, placing him far from the top of the leaderboard. To put it bluntly, he stood out, and the evidence supported that conclusion. He had the poorest economy rating on his squad (9.43). Rabada’s two wickets were the second-fewest after Markram’s three. Rabada was the most expensive bowler in the competition, with 112 others costing less. That’s 84.85%. He finished with fewer wickets (81) than 112 other bowlers. That’s 72.32%.
Kagiso Rabada said, “It’s a concern with the amount of cricket that’s being played. It needs to be managed. Playing international cricket, you want high intensity”.
Twitter Reacts:
https://t.co/R2N5zbWnlH pic.twitter.com/KnisJfPv6y
Advertisement— Shubham Padia (@wokepadia) December 3, 2022
Just take rest and don’t play https://t.co/sCc9gHoZUH
— Jr. 🇮🇳 (@jr_sangy) December 3, 2022
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Who asked Rabada to sign up for multiple franchise leagues then? Follow Starc’s example if you want to practice what you preach! https://t.co/aVQyR7Ykp1
Advertisement— महादादा (@mahadada) December 2, 2022
Don't play SA20 league man.. you need to manage your workload man https://t.co/nAlXP6KgGX
— 𝐑. (@fanmahida) December 2, 2022
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He has bowled most overs by a fast bowler since his debut across formatsAdvertisementPoor Guys gets rested but then plays in a large chunk https://t.co/gmJqO60Whw
— Siddhant (@SiddViz) December 2, 2022
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KG voicing this, but I am sure it will fall on deaf ears https://t.co/95F6ad4sNA
Advertisement— pyrtt (@_histreecheater) December 2, 2022
