Radaba a real threat to England

DALE Steyn says he is better than he was at the same age and South Africa coach Russell Domingo describes his bowling with a tinge of awe in his voice.

At just 21, Kagiso Rabada is the youngest bowler in the top 10 world rankings and the reason South Africa believe they can cope with the loss of Steyn for their tour to England.

The South African habit of finishing England test captains will not continue thanks to Alastair Cook’s resignation in January, but Rabada has the potential to apply the wrecking ball to Joe Root’s first series in charge.

Rabada bowled three overs against Sussex on Friday night, gliding into the tour down the hill at Hove with two wickets in his first over.

Not much else followed but this is a long trip and there are far more challenging English batsmen to dismiss.

He is quick, bowls inswingers and outswingers with the new and old ball, has a nasty bouncer and can work through long spells.

He is a perfect bowler for a captain, according to Faf du Plessis, the South Africa test skipper.

He took 13 wickets in the hammering of England at Centurion in January last year, the second highest in a match for South Africa, and has 71 wickets at age 23 from 17 tests.

His rise to world’s best fast bowler feels inevitable. This season, on English pitches and with a Duke ball, Rabada could reign supreme.

“He’s a fantastic bowler. He could be as good as Dale Steyn and those guys,” Domingo said.

“It is hard to believe he already has 60 or 70 test wickets. He’s only been playing for a year or so. He’s a fantastic prospect for us, no doubt about it, and we’re expecting really good things from him on this particular tour.

“He has pace, a wonderful head on his shoulders, a great outlook on bowling and life, he is just very simplistic and calm.”

Rabada’s action is lithe and economical. He has been described as a thoroughbred and his run-up is easy and efficient.

“He is an unbelievable athlete,” Domingo said. “He is built unbelievably well for a fast bowler. We have to manage him, he plays all formats for us, so we have to be careful when and how we play him because he is special.

“Yes, [Steyn’s absence] is a blow. But we’ve done really well with some of our new players coming in.

“Morne Morkel has stepped back in, Vernon Philander is back, we have Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell, so there is good depth in our bowling department.” – The Telegraph