Kagiso Rabada will thrive under intense pressure in crucial showdown against Australia, says Malibongwe Maketa
Former Proteas assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa says Australia should provoke SA fast bowler Kagiso Rabada at their own peril, in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Rabada was at the centre of a controversy the last couple 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. 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).
Now, as Rabada turns his attention to the WTC final starting on June 11 at Lord's, in London, he will no doubt be one of the main targets for the Aussies to sledge.
"With their history, it brings in a different pressure in terms of facing Australia and their record precedes them, so you know for a fact that it's going to be relentless pressure,' Maketa told SportsBoom.co.za.
'Not only from the bowling, but also from the body language, from the fielders, and when you're in Australia, the pressure comes even from the public. It is intimidating. You feel a different energy when you're about to play them.'
The 30-year-old Rabada is now a seasoned campaigner in the Proteas team, and has come up against the fiery Aussies on a number of occasions in the longest format of the game. Maketa therefore believes that Rabada will be more than up to the task.
"I don't think he identifies with the word pressure in the sense that he actually goes towards the fact that it's tough, he thrives under pressure. I think the Australians have learned now. I don't think the current crop of players would say too much to KG because they know what they would bring out in him.
"The public, yes, might say something here and there but I think with what has transpired in the past, they would definitely stay far away from KG in terms of getting him to a point where he has to say stuff like, 'you guys, I'll show you who I am'. I think that would be their approach."
@Michael_Sherman
IOL Sport
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
Early start leaves Lord's finalists nervy over composition of line-ups
The Proteas have long been mindful of the conditions they will face in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's next week; be it the weather, the Dukes ball or the slope. It's why they've been careful not to read too much into the outcomes — runs scored and wickets taken — of their match in Arundel against Zimbabwe, where they are using a Dukes ball, there is no slope like at Lord's although the weather has been characteristically crap. No play was possible because of rain for what would have been the third day of their warm-up match Thursday and it may lead some to question why so much stock was put in having the fixture. Temba Bavuma described warm-up matches as largely a waste of time, but even he would have found some value in making 58 on Wednesday. For the rest this was about rhythm, with the mindset stuff kicking into gear once they get to London at the weekend. The conditions at Lord's are of great interest to both WTC finalists, mainly because it's unusual for either side to play a match at that historic venue, this early in June. This is war!!! — Nqobile Madela (@nqobzasheen) June 5, 2025 The last time Australia did so was in 1921, while for SA, in seven Tests at Lord's after isolation, only once have they played at a date as close to next week's June 11 start. That was in 1998 when a century from Jonty Rhodes and a five wicket haul for Allan Donald set up a 10-wicket win. For the rest they've either played there in Late June, July or August as the was case for the Proteas's last trip to Lord's in 2023. 'We haven't played a lot of cricket at Lord's in June so we're going have to make some educated guesses on what the game potentially will look like and that'll generally inform our selection,' Australian coach Andrew McDonald. His side had a team-bonding session in Inverness, Scotland last week and have been conducting some spirited training sessions in Bromley, having forgoed the option of a warm-up match. They, like SA, face questions about the composition of their top order; for the Proteas it's about who will bat at no3, while Australia is weighing up options for an opener to accompany Usman Khawaja. Wiaan Mulder batted at 3 in Arundel, a spot he batted in twice last summer, although not with any great success. He was trapped lbw for 28 on Wednesday and given the quality of the Australian attack and Dukes ball that nips and swings more than its Kookaburra cousin — which both SA and Australia use at home — it is a big risk. Rain delays play in England 🌧️ Wet weather has halted the Proteas' warm-up match ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final. Fingers crossed for clearer skies ☁️🏏. #WTCFinal #WozaNawe #ProteasWTCFinal — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 3, 2025 The Proteas feel they will need Mulder's bowling and even though Shukri Conrad made Tristan Stubbs his no.3 batter last year, it now appears that the head coach feels Stubbs might be better suited to the middle order. Batting coach Ashwell Prince offered little about SA's tactics, saying Mulder was being prepared in case that was the way they would go, but all options, including Tony De Zorzi, who batted at no.6 against Zimbabwe, remain on the table. McDonald expressed a similar sentiment about Australia, who are understood to be considering Marnus Labuschagne as Khawaja's opening partner, with Cameroon Green their new option for the no.3 berth. 'The batters ... really, it's about how we want to shape that order, they're all viable options depending on how we want to stack them up,' said McDonald. 'We try to make the right decisions at the right time and we're a few days off having to make that decision, so we'll just be trying to prepare everyone for that opportunity.' SA's bowlers didn't get the work out they'd hoped for on Thursday — having bowled just 11 overs the previous evening — and they will want the weather to clear in the coming days to allow them to get much needed miles in the legs before next Wednesday.
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Vernon Philander backs Proteas attack against ‘vulnerable' Aussie top order
FIRM BELIEF Vernon Philander (pictured) backs South Africa's potent pace attack, led by Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi, to exploit Australia's vulnerable top order in the upcoming World Test Championship final at Lord's. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix Philander, who played 64 Tests and 30 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), had every confidence in the current attack against the old foe. Rabada, in particular, will be under scrutiny as he recently served a one-month ban for testing positive for a banned recreational substance (cocaine). With the pace attack set to be led by Kagiso Rabada , Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi , the Proteas will indeed have a dangerous arsenal of quicks at their disposal. Former Proteas seamer Vernon Philander believes South Africa's current bowling attack will be able to get the better of the Australian top order in the World Test Championship ( WTC ) final starting at Lord's, in London, on Wednesday next week. Proteas Poised to Exploit Australia's Vulnerability Against Moving Ball at Lord's "Tactically, the ball nips around at Lord's and Australia's top order could be vulnerable, especially since our bowlers have the ability to get the ball a touch fuller,' Philander told 'The likes of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood bowl more back-of-a-length, with the ball going over the top of the stumps; we want to bring the stumps into play more. "The Australian batsmen are generally aggressive and come hard at you. Which shows you the importance of the new ball; having control with that is important, and you don't want to leak early boundaries. You don't want to allow them to get into their strides.' With the seam movement likely on offer in London, Philander said the Proteas were simply better suited to the conditions. "Australia have a bit of a defect against the moving ball. Technically and mentally, South Africa's batsmen perhaps have the upper hand with the general overhead conditions in England and the Duke ball being completely different to the Kookaburra." "So, the Proteas bowlers will certainly want to exploit that. Marnus Labuschagne has been short of runs, as has Steve Smith to an extent in the previous couple of seasons. So, there's a window of opportunity there, their shortfalls will be in the back of the mind." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Bavuma's long road to Lord's: Proteas skipper eyes Test mace glory
Temba Bavuma will lead the Proteas in the World Test Championship final, starting next week, against Australia, hoping to capture the Test mace for the country. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagpix It is very hard to compare the journey that Temba Bavuma has had to undertake to get to where he is now — leading the Proteas Test team ahead of next week's World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's. The 35-year-old has endured all kinds of challenges in his career, and many of them have had little to do with his on-field performances. He has faced abuse on social media when results have not gone his way, and received scant credit when he has single-handedly carried the team. Considering his journey — and given that Bavuma has now proven himself to many of his critics — there is growing hope that the Test mace will be the first of many trophies he brings home during his tenure as captain. It seems the stars may finally be aligning for a man who has had to endure more hardship than celebration, to bring long-awaited glory to South African cricket — an environment that so desperately needs positive news. 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 ✕ Ad Loading Speaking to the media before boarding a flight to the UK last week, Bavuma admitted that winning the Test mace would bring meaning to everything he has gone through. 'It's a key moment within my career as a leader. I think it will give credence to everything that I've gone through. There's always that question at the back of your mind — 'Is everything that you're doing, everything that you're going through, worth it?'' said Bavuma. 'But then, when you're in moments like these, where you have the opportunity to do something special — not just for yourself but for the nation — it gives you a little bit of motivation and comfort that everything that you're going through is worth it.' Similarly, for many senior players in the Test team — such as Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Keshav Maharaj — who have endured a tough rebuilding phase marked by the loss of sponsors and South Africa's fall from grace as a top Test side, winning the mace would be a worthy reward for their resilience. 'I think it's a key moment for a lot of us within the team. A lot of the guys put a lot of significance behind Test cricket. When we speak about a legacy that we want to leave behind, Test cricket is right there at the top,' said Bavuma. 'We're embracing everything that's to come. We'd love there to be that kind of fairytale story in the result. But in terms of just savouring it all, enjoying the moment, and looking to play your best cricket — that really doesn't change. 'But yes, for me, for the team, and for the coach as well, I think winning the Test mace is right up there among the biggest moments of our careers.' Bavuma was injured after the ICC Champions Trophy and missed the tail end of the Four-Day Series at home. As a result, some may be concerned about his form or lack of game time ahead of the WTC final. However, those who follow the game closely will recall that Bavuma returned from a nearly three-month layoff last year — having missed the Bangladesh tour — only to score two centuries and three fifties in seven innings during the home summer. The 35-year-old also showed promising form in Arundel on Wednesday, cruising to an unbeaten 58 during the warm-up match against Zimbabwe. 'I feel like I'm moving nicely. The eyes haven't gone as of yet — which becomes a problem when you're 35,' Bavuma joked. 'But yes, I still feel good mentally. Mentally, I feel fresh — that's the biggest thing. Physically, I keep managing my elbow. The hamstrings are good. So, I'm good to go,' he concluded.
