Vernon Philander backs Kagiso Rabada to put Australia on slippery slope at Lord's in WTC final
FILE - A picture of Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander from 2012 during their time together in the Proteas Test team.
Image: Marty Melville / AFP
Former Proteas all-rounder Vernon Philander is not concerned about Kagiso Rabada's fitness of state of mind ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia.
The Proteas and the Aussies go head-to-head to win the ICC Test Mace from Wednesday at Lord's in London.
There have been concerns that Rabada is going into the biggest match in South African cricket history underdone after being a month out of the game while serving a drugs ban.
Rabada, 30, was at the centre of a controversy over the last couple of months, after he announced at the end of April he had tested positive for a banned recreational drug. The drug was later confirmed to be cocaine.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
By the time Rabada made the announcement, he had just about completed his one-month ban and swiftly returned to action for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He wasn't quite at his belligerent best when he returned to action for the Gujarat Titans in India, but looked much sharper in the warm-up match against Zimbabwe, where had the home team's batters ducking and diving for cover.
Rabada is going to be really important for the Proteas, because of his quality and experience. Australia are stacked with experience and world beaters and South Africa need their own world-class performance to be firing at full blast.
Philander says he spoke to Rabada before the team departed for England and is confident that he will be at his best once he gets that Duke ball in his hands.
'Rustiness? It's probably a concern for both sides. Most of the Australian bowlers have also just been playing in the IPL as well,' Philander told IOL Sport.
'I spoke to KG just before they left and there is a real sense of hunger and keenness to put in a big performance for the country.
'The energy and quality that he brings to the party is massively important to the outfit. The rest of the bowling attack tends to feed off his energy. Let's hope he starts well, because he is going to be massively important for South Africa.'
Philander was the star performer the last time the Proteas won the golden mace at Lord's in 2012.
The "surgeon" went to work on the English batting line up during that Test match, nipping the ball in and away with his signature wobble seam, which is now being used by bowlers all over the world.
The slope at Lord's is known to give seamers some assistance, especially when there is a bit of grass on the surface and cloud cover above it.
But the Lord's can also be very flat and provide opportunities to score. Bowlers who don't adjust to the conditions normally pay a heavy price.
'The one thing that sets Lord's apart from other venues is obviously the slope. One from the one side to the other side of the ground there is about a two metre difference,' Philander said.
'It can be helpful for the bowlers, but it can also be really flat. As much as there is an element of the slope for the bowlers to work with, it can also be a really good batting surface.
Former Proteas all-rounder Vernon Philander is hosting a Wickets & Wine event at Forrester Wines during the WTC Final between the Proteas and Australia.
Image: Supplied
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
In a WTC of tight margins Ngidi's lack of discipline costly for Proteas
South Africa won't apportion blame to one player for the tricky position they found themselves in at the end of the first day, but it was hard not to watch Australia's attack give the Proteas batters absolutely nothing in the last session of play on Wednesday and not think: 'What was Lungi Ngidi doing?' Steve Smith and Kagiso Rabada explained how difficult the Lord's surface was for batting. It nipped and moved around a lot, said Rabada. 'It offered something all day,' said Smith. But where Australia's attack conceded two or less runs per over, and Rabada, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder were all 3.5 runs or less when they bowled, Ngidi's economy rate of 5.62 sticks out like a sore thumb. He certainly bowled like someone with an injured digit. Smith said Australia's batters didn't deliberately counterattack after lunch, when their scoring rate shot up to 4.7 runs an over. 'We got a few more loose balls that we could put away,' he said. Those primarily were delivered by Ngidi, who conceded seven boundaries. 'They didn't miss their lengths and they bowled really well,' Rabada said of the Australians. In a match where the margins are so tight Ngidi's lack of discipline, his inability to control neither line nor length in conditions in which the ball moved more for the South Africans than it did for the Australians — because of the cloud cover — is unforgivable. 'We thought probably 160 is what we should have had them at,' Rabada said of Australia's first innings total of 212. Ngidi conceded 45 runs in his eight overs and there were also 10 no balls, five from Wiaan Mulder. Before the Test, Temba Bavuma said Ngidi's selection over Dane Paterson was 'one of the tougher decisions that have been made.' Paterson bowled superbly when called upon at home last summer — claiming two five wicket hauls — while Ngidi has only played in two Tests during Shukri Conrad's tenure as coach. The decision was a tactical one Bavuma explained, outlining how Ngidi's height could cause trouble on a surface where the bounce might get tricky later and that he bowls quicker than Paterson. The trouble is, that being taller and faster means nothing when the basic demands of Test match bowling aren't adhered to. Ngidi may look in better shape than he has for a long time, but he simply doesn't bowl enough at domestic first class level to warrant a start in the Test team. The two Tests he's played under Conrad — one against India at the start of 2024, and then last August against the West Indies — are the only two first class matches he's played since December 2022. On social media, Dale Steyn pointed out that Ngidi's run up 'needs serious work.' 'He starts good the first half and unfortunately by the time he hits the second half he's almost dropped in speed and momentum, pedestrian really, [he's then] forced to then use his body and action for pace. It's then always a fight to deliver consistency,' Steyn tweeted.
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs make HUGE decision on Percy Tau signing!
Kaizer Chiefs have previously been linked with Percy Tau and they could now sign him for free this window. Chiefs have been touted as long-term admirers of Tau but question marks remain over finally signing him. Tau recently parted ways with his new side Qatar SC, this after a very short stint with the Qatari side. After only joining from Al Ahly in January, The South African international played just 10 times for the club, in an injury ravaged spell. He failed to find the back of the net during his time there, but was able to register four assists in the process. Before signing for Qatar, there had been rumours of interesting in Iran, North Africa as well as South Africa. On home soil it has been Chiefs who have prominently been linked with the player over the years. During the previous close season, it was claimed that Amakhosi had made inquiries and even bids for Tau, but could not meet Al Ahly's valuation. With Tau being a free agent, that opens up the pool of clubs that can entice him with a deal. It also gives Chiefs an opportunity to speak to the player directly, with only a personal package to worry about. Coach Nasreddine Nabi has recently been doing the rounds trying to attract experienced attackers. But according to Soccer-Laduma , Chiefs have made the decision not to sign Tau! 'Of course there was a time when the club (Chiefs) was interested in signing Percy Tau and that was when he was about to leave Aly Ahly. But no longer. The technical team as well as the recruitment department have ruled out signing Percy Tau this time around. It's apparently not in the coach's plans at the moment. They pulled out of that race,' said the source. Chiefs fans are you happy with that? Or do you feel the club needs Tau's experience up top? Let us know by clicking on the comment tab. Or by emailing info@ or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
How England's Stuart Broad became the Proteas' secret weapon in the WTC final
SECRET WEAPON Stuart Broad's tactical insights helped give the Proteas a crucial edge in their dominant bowling performance against Australia in the WTC final at Lord's. Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP There's no disputing it was a top bowling performance from the Proteas on the opening day of the World Test Championship final against Australia, with Kagiso Rabada grabbing the headlines, but it may just have been the input of legendary England fast bowler Stuart Broad which gave South Africa their edge. Broad was seen chatting to the Proteas bowlers before the start of the match at Lord's on Wednesday, as he was called in as a consultant ahead of the clash. Due to his commentary commitments with the host broadcaster during the Test, Broad's role ended once the match began. Broad played an incredible 167 Tests for England in a 16-year career which finally drew to a close in 2023. The quick ended with 604 Test wickets, and the fifth most in the format.
