Cricket-'Life moves on' Rabada looks ahead to World Test Championship final after drug ban
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC Men's Champions Trophy - Semi Final - South Africa Practice - Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan - March 4, 2025 South Africa's Kagiso Rabada during practice REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File photo
(Reuters) -South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said life moves on and he will never be "Mr I-Apologise-Too-Much" after serving a one-month ban for testing positive for recreational drug use at this year's SA20 competition.
The 30-year-old Rabada can resume playing for his country in June, after being named in South Africa's squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's from June 11 to 15.
Having already apologised for his actions in May, Rabada said he wanted to move on from the incident.
"I'm just glad to be playing again. The process was handled really well ... I think, as a player, and a man, people will have their different opinions. I can live with that," Rabada told media on Saturday before leaving for London.
"There are some people who would have been disappointed and to those people I'm deeply sorry ... The people closest to me are the ones I felt I let down.
"But life moves on. I'll never be 'Mr-I-Apologise-Too-Much'. But I'll never condone that action."
Rabada said he has been speaking with team mates, adding that he plans to do more in the coming days to mend any rifts the incident may have caused.
"I think I owe it to them (to talk about what happened)," he said. "They're my team mates. We've come from so far.
"I've already spoken to them and I guess we can do so in more detail when we get together for an extended amount of time."
Rabada is likely to lead the fast-bowling attack in the World Test Championship final with seamers Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi and Dane Paterson also in the squad.
Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy are the two specialist spin options.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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