Durban: South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince has offered an encouraging – if measured – update on Kagiso Rabada’s fitness ahead of the first Test against Australia, revealing the pace spearhead came through quite nicely in an intra-squad match earlier this week.
Speaking at a press conference, Prince struck a cautiously optimistic note:
“He came through quite nicely and bowled really well. He’ll continue to be involved in training over the next few days leading up to the match. Fair to say that he’s obviously not going to be at 100% straight away, but he is looking good.”
The Durban hit-out
Rabada tested his body in an intra-squad match in Durban on October 4 and 5 – his first serious competitive bowling in months. Coming through two days of match-intensity cricket unscathed was the hurdle the medical staff needed him to clear, and Prince’s assessment suggests he passed it well.
The plan now is simple: keep him in full training through the week and make a final call close to the Test. South Africa are taking no chances with their most valuable asset.
A long road back
Context matters here. Rabada’s last Test appearance came on the tour of Pakistan almost a year ago, and a rib injury subsequently ruled him out of the home series against India. This has been a stop-start twelve months for a bowler whose body has carried South Africa’s attack for the better part of a decade.
That history explains the caution. As Prince admitted, nobody expects Rabada at 100% straight away – the question is whether 85 or 90% of Rabada is still better than the alternative. History suggests it usually is.
What it means for the series opener
Against an Australian side stacked with right-handers who drive hard, Rabada’s skiddy pace and stump-to-stump discipline are central to South Africa’s plans. His new-ball partnership sets the tone for the entire attack; without him, the burden shifts heavily onto younger shoulders.
Captain Temba Bavuma has already said the final decision will be made with the whole series in mind. Australia’s batters, meanwhile, will have noted the update with interest – facing a Rabada at anything near his best is a very different proposition to facing South Africa without him.
Prince’s words will have lifted every South African supporter: the spearhead is bowling well, he has come through match-intensity cricket unscathed, and he is looking good. The final call comes closer to the Test, but the signs are increasingly positive.
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