Rabada absence blow for SA: Ntini More to follow Munro down white-ball route: Taylor
Former fast bowler Makhaya Ntini claims Kagiso Rabada is irreplaceable for South Africa but believes that if he can somehow win his appeal against suspension Newlands will be ‘‘chock-a-block’’ for the third test against Australia.
Rabada’s appeal will be heard by video conference on Tuesday in a hearing overseen by Michael Heron QC, a former solicitor-general of New Zealand who will have until the next day, a day before the test starts, to arrive at a decision.
Ntini, an iconic figure in South Africa who took 390 test wickets in 101 matches, says Rabada has every right to appeal but fears how South Africa would fare without him for the rest of the series.
‘‘Rabada is a son of our land. He’s one of our heroes,’’ Ntini told Fairfax Media. ‘‘If we are losing him for the next two test matches there is a massive gap in our team. By losing him it’s almost like we’re losing five bowlers.
‘‘For him to be able to take 11 test wickets in one test match, that is a gap that could be taken by five players. Him not being there, it’s almost like the whole ship is sinking and there will be no one able to lift it up and let it float again. He is the leader of the attack.
‘‘Every team wants to have a person Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor expects more cricketers to focus solely on white ball cricket after explosive opener Colin Munro announced he was ditching the red ball format last week.
Munro, targeting his best form for next year’s World Cup, will not play for Auckland in the rest of the Plunket Shield’s four-day season and the 31-year-old wasn’t available for either of the New Zealand XI squads that faced England in two-day warm-up matches in Hamilton this week.
Taylor, who starred for New Zealand with two centuries in their recent 3-2 one-day international series defeat to England, said situations like Munro’s would become ‘‘more popular’’ when asked about England opener Alex Hales, his future team-mate with English county Nottinghamshire.
‘‘Especially those players who are quite sought after in the Twenty20 format will go along that route,’’ the 34-year-old Kiwi told the BBC.
Hales and English leg-spinner Adil Rashid have both committed to white ball cricket like Munro.
‘‘Different players go through different stages throughout their
careers. I talked to Alex Hales about Nottinghamshire and he spoke highly about it,’’ Taylor added.
‘‘I don’t know if it will be a longterm thing for him, but I think it will become a bit more popular.’’
Munro will soon be joining up with the Delhi Daredevils for this year’s Indian Premier League T20 competition which starts April 7.
Taylor last week signed for Nottinghamshire for the first half of their 2018 season and will play red and white ball cricket in England’s domestic competitions.
Meanwhile, leg-spinner Mason Crane will miss the rest of England’s tour of New Zealand because of a back injury.
Crane, 21, made his debut in the final test of the Ashes series against Australia in Sydney, but has suffered a stress fracture in his lower back and will return home after playing no part in the two warm-up games at Seddon Park this week.
Jack Leach has been called up as cover from the England Lions squad after impressing against the West Indies A team in February.
The two-test series starts with the pink ball test at Eden Park next Thursday.