No way Proteas will throw towel in — Rabada

Fast bowling sensation says that the team will never give up, even with the series lost

SHINING LIGHT: Kagiso Rabada’s form with the ball has been one of the few positives that South Africa can take out of the Test series with England. The young quick says that the Proteas will continue fighting at SuperSport Park even though the four-match series has been lost.

SOUTH AFRICA’S spectacular demise in the third Test against England at the Wanderers over the weekend robbed Kagiso Rabada, one of the country’s brightest prospects, of the opportunity to celebrate his debut Test “five-for”.

Rabada’s heroics on the third day coincided with South Africa’s capitulation and a superior England display for a series-clinching seven-wicket victory.

“It was very nice and espe- cially to do it at my home ground at the Wanders; it is a milestone but I try my best to help the team and stick with my plans and the team’s plans,” Rabada said at SuperSport Park ahead of the fourth Test starting on Friday.

“There is another game to play and we are going to rock up, so we are not going to throw the towel in; it is unlike us to do that.”

South Africa formally abdicated the throne on the third day as they were bowled out for 83, their lowest total on home soil since the end of isolation.

A defiant Rabada said yesterday there was still plenty of fight left in the Proteas side that are at risk of dropping down to fourth place on the ICC Test rankings should they lose the fourth and final Test in Centurion.

“The fighting spirit is natural in the team, no-one is trying to lose their wickets.

“Everyone is fighting out there, that is the bottom line,” he said.

“We know we are playing for the country, you can’t say nobody is fighting.”

Rabada has been thrust into the Test cricket fray at a difficult time for the Proteas side that have gone winless in nine Tests while losing two of their last three series at home.

Reflecting on the last two series Rabada admits it had been a tough environment for a youngster starting out his Test career but he believed he will be better for the experience.

“It hasn’t been a great past two months for us coming from India and here against the English but we are bonding together as a team and I think that’s the best thing we can do right now,” he said.

“We are trying to get ourselves in a good space, we are very positive at the moment and that is the best thing to do.”

England have been superior throughout the series with the exception of a gutsy fightback by the Proteas to affect the draw in Cape Town.

Rabada would not concede England are the better team but accepted the tourists were playing better cricket in the series.

“Maybe at the moment they are playing better cricket, they have experience players and we have players that have played against them and have beaten them,” he said.

“You could say we have a young bowling attack compared to their experienced attack and that could be the only difference.”