Raw talent that might come back to bite us

How good is Kagiso Rabada? Seriously, how good is he? For a few weeks this summer Kent County Cricket Club have secured the service of the South African fast bowler.

And on his debut at St Lawrence last Thursday the 21-year-old from Johannesburg did not disappoint.

He earned the man of the match award in a T20 game against Sussex after taking the wickets of Chris Nash and the potentially destructive Luke Wright.

Rabada is one those cricketers who just looks like he has something about him, like Ian Botham, Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan, the last who also had a spell with Kent.

He is a product of the excellent sports programme in the South African schools system. Funnily enough, Rabada went to the same Methodist secondary school in Joburg as Roy Pienaar, an effective all-rounder who turned out for Kent from 1987 to 1989.

The one drawback of Rabada’s six-week spell with Kent is that he is on an educational course, acquainting himself with English conditions.

After all, barring injury, the England national side will be facing Rabada when he returns for South Africa first in the ICC Champions Trophy and then for a four-match Test series.

I always feel a bit sorry for cricket. Every other summer and after a football season that lasts from the start of August to the end of May, it plays second fiddle to either the European Championships or the World Cup.

And despite all the hype and the expectation, we were atrocious – again. Boring. Lifeless. Uninventive.

Yet our England cricketers defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 in the Test matches and 4-0 in the one-dayers, an area in which we’ve struggled in the past against our friends in the Subcontinent.

Even better, our rugby players beat the Australians 3-0 in rugby union.

We have much to celebrate as a sporting nation – forget the overpaid wallies kicking a football about.

Kagiso Rabada