Rabada record heroics
Kagiso re-writes history books with best figures of 6/16 on dream ODI debut
First ODI Bangladesh 160
(Rabada 6/16, Morris 2/32, Shakib 48)
(Du Plessis 63*, Rossouw 45*)
South Africa 164/2 South Africa win by eight wickets
TWENTY-FOUR years after Allan Donald charged in at an electrifying and emotionally-charged Eden Gardens to reintroduce South Africa to the international cricket audience, a 20-year-old fast bowler from Joburg unveiled the new face of Proteas cricket.
Overnight tropical monsoons had created an atmosphere of gloom in the Bangladeshi capital, but soon there was an angelic glow focusing solely on Kagiso Rabada as the young paceman lit up the Shera Bangla National Stadium with a world-record performance.
Rabada has been touted as a future star since he spearheaded the Junior Proteas’ charge to the ICC Under-19 World Cup title in Dubai last year.
A new national first-class record for the Highveld Lions followed and the noise around the former St Stithians pupil grew louder.
All the fuss, though, is genuine because Rabada is the real deal. No need to err on the side of caution or take into consideration that it is only Bangladesh.
And this is not just due to the fact that he achieved the best figures on ODI debut ever or became only the third South African to bag an ODI hat-trick.
Those are phenomenal feats and it is special that he has overtaken greats like Donald and Makhaya Ntini on the South African record charts, but it was rather the way the youngster compiled his spells that created the lasting impression.
He generated good pace throughout and even managed to extract bounce from this docile road-Iike surface.
Tamim Iqbal, the first victim within the hat-trick, was certainly tested in this department as Rabada whizzed two short balls past him before the knockout blow.
Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt spoke after the first Twenty20 here that “the follow-up ball” was often crucial to the method of attack on the sub-continent and Rabada showed that he possessed another equally impressive characteristic of a young fast bowler: The ability to listen and take advice when he unleashed a full and straight delivery that uprooted Tamim’s off-stump.
The execution would have had Langeveldt – South Africa’s first ODI hat-trick hero – applauding with delight from the dugout.
Rabada, though, was only warming up.
His next ball was straight and full again and Litton Das could not keep his wristy flick through mid-wicket on the carpet and watched on in despair as Farhaan Behardien took a comfortable catch.
Rabada’s expression indicated he knew that was left off the hook there – a further measure of his maturity – but they all count in the scorebook.
The final ball of the hattrick, though, was an absolute beauty.
Knowing that new batsman Mahmudullah was playing his first match since recovering from a finger injury and he would possibly take some time to get his feet moving and could be rooted to the crease, Rabada went just short of a length on this occasion and the ball crashed into his pads.
There were muted celebra- tions for the previous two wickets, but the hat-trick wicket gave way to manic scenes as Rabada’s teammates mobbed him ecstatically.
The car nage continued when Soumya Sakar became Rabada’s fourth scalp a few overs later as the home side plunged deeper into the quagmire.
Bangladesh’s most senior batsman, Shakib-al-Hasan, tried valiantly to stem the procession to the changeroom with a composed half-century when stand-in captain Hashim Amla sent Rabada down the boundary in search of a second breath.
However, when Shakib fell sweeping to leg-spinner Imran Tahir, it opened the door for the debutant to return to the attack in search of a debut “five-for”.
Rabada went one better when he strangled Bangladeshi captain Masrafe Mortaza down the leg-side before delivering the coup-de-grace with an inchperfect yorker that cleaned up Jubair Hoosain’s stumps.
Not many players get the opportunity to be applauded off the field in their first ODI, but Rabada was rightfully afforded that distinction with Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosagee the first to congratulate the young man on his im- pressive achievements.
He had done his job and ensured the task of South Africa’s batsmen was going to be much simpler than originally expected.
They would have been further grateful as the pitch slowed up considerably during the evening which was not conducive to free-flowing strokeplay.
Amla (14, 2x4) and Quinton de Kock (35, 4x4) discovered this to their peril before Faf du Plessis and Rilee Rossouw adjusted accordingly to close out the victory and ensure the night became even a sweeter one for young Rabada.