Rabada making giant strides
Global T20 role adds to pressure
After fetching R9.8-million in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to play for the Delhi Daredevils earlier this year‚ Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada finds himself with the added pressure of being the marquee player for the Joburg Giants in South Africa’s inaugural Global T20 competition.
For a man who had just left school three years ago without ever taking a five-for for St Stithian’s College, being the face of the Johannesburgbased Global T20 side‚ which is also owned by his Daredevils employers‚ represents yet another pressure situation.
The last few years have been defined by him being dragged out of his comfort zone.
The fact that he already has the best bowling figures by a South African in one-day internationals and the second best in tests suggests he has had few problems handling the demands of not only firstclass cricket but those of international cricket as well.
“There’s always pressure to perform but there are ways you can deal with it‚” Rabada‚ a Nissan ICC brand ambassador‚ said at his Nissan SA School Coaching clinic held at Vorentoe High School in Auckland Park yesterday.
“But you have to take it one step at a time and‚ depending on what you want to achieve, you have to get out of your comfort zone.
“It definitely has been [a pressure situation] but it’s something I wanted to do and when you want to do something you’re going to get into tricky situations but you’ll find a way to get yourself in a sane state of mind.”
Rabada‚ who had a taste of IPL cricket with the Daredevils in April‚ said he expected the Global T20 to be of a high standard: “There are a lot of good players in the competition.
“There are good national players playing‚ some good franchise players‚ some overseas players and overseas marquee players who are greats of the game I don’t think will ever be forgotten.
“Guys like Brendon McCullum‚ Chris Gayle‚ Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo are guys who have played cricket for a very long time and have done really well.”
Rabada was at Vorentoe with fellow Nissan ICC brand ambassador and former Protea fast bowler Shaun Pollock courtesy of Nissan and Kaya FM’s initiative where schools had to write in to explain why they should win a day of coaching. –