Rabada wraps up victory and warns his best is yet to come
Centurion underperformers are making the same mistakes over and over again
ENGLAND can expect more fireworks from Kagiso Rabada who believes he is getting back to somewhere near his best.
As one of the best fast bowlers in the world Rabada tormented England’s batsmen in both innings with pace and hostility, the perfect foil for the unerringVernon Philander at the other end.
He may have leaked plenty of runs but the 24-year-old picked up seven wickets in the opening win at Centurion and wrapped up the game with the final wicket of Stuart Broad.“I haven’t really been at my best this past year,” Rabada said. “It has been a bit of a fight but you just need to stay in the contest and that is what I tried to do and it worked here.
“South Africa conditions are normally this way, we are used to these conditions and you have to make the most of them. “Against the new ball it is very hard for the batter. England made it very tough for us like they always do.” South Africa have called up batsman Keegan Petersen for the second Test, starting in Cape Town on Friday, to replace the injured Aiden Markram who needs surgery on a fractured finger.
ENGLAND ended 2019 the same way they began it, with another crushing defeat.
In January, it was the West Indies who gave them a hiding in two consecutive Tests.
This time it was South Africa, who had lost their previous five matches, who handed out a 107-run drubbing.
What have England learned in between? What have they improved in 12 months? Sadly, the answer is not a lot.
They are still making the same mistakes and it is costing them just as heavily, with only four wins out of 12, including one against Ireland, across the year. Joe Root’s men have become experts, not in taking 20 wickets or posting giant totals, but in terms of playing catch-up cricket.
Poor first-innings performances with the bat are the most consistent aspect of skipper Root’s side, although here in Centurion there was disappointment with ball and then bat. Despite reducing South Africa to 111-5 on day one, the hosts were allowed to make 284.
And by sliding from 142-3 to 181 when it was their turn, England put themselves so far behind the game it became impossible to make it up, even with Ben Stokes and the miracle of Headingley this summer swirling around in their heads.
“We turned up with real belief we could win the Test,” said Root.
“At lunch today, me and Ben looked at the scenario and it was the same equation as at Leeds not so long ago, but we weren’t able to negotiate the second new ball.
“The thing that’s frustrating me is that when we find ourselves behind the game, we show a lot of character, fight and determination, and we find ways of getting ourselves back into fixtures.
“We need to do that at the start, get ahead of it, and when we get the opportunity
to turn the