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The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
‘Quiet demeanour' of Temba Bavuma won't cut it in WTC final, says former Proteas player
According to former Proteas opener Alviro Petersen, Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma will be the two main targets of the Australians in the war of words, before and during, the World Test Championship final starting at Lord's, in London, next week. Rabada, of course, was banned for a month in April for testing positive for banned recreational substance cocaine. Though he's served his ban and has since returned to playing, that's the perfect topic for the Aussies, who are known for their sledging, to exploit. The 30-year-old Rabada is the leader of the Proteas attack, but did struggle for form in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The change of format could serve him well though, but only if he is able to ignore the Aussie 'verbals', believed Petersen. "They're going to jump on it. I mean, you've already seen former players jumping on it. They're going to jump on it like a wildfire, and leading up to that Test match final, they're going to absolutely drill it and nail it into South Africa to say, you've got to try to keep this under wraps,' Petersen told "This is already the thing I see coming through from the Australians - 'you try to keep this under wraps. How on earth would you have done that? It should have been a three-month ban, you're protecting certain okes.' Those sorts of things will come up, and ideally, what they want is, they want Kagiso Rabada to be impacted by it." Another key figure the Aussies will circle like sharks will be Bavuma, as the skipper of the Proteas. "Forget about his (Bavuma's) technique, forget about what he's done in the last couple of seasons or whatever the case might be, Australia hunt for the head and he's the captain, they're going to come for him. "He needs to be up for it, to be mentally strong for what's going to come. Australia's a tough team to play, especially in finals. So, they're going to come for him. He will need to stand up. That quiet demeanour of Temba Bavuma is unfortunately not going to cut it in the final." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Hezekiel Sepeng, Athletics SA, backs Akani Simbine, local talent to medal at World Athletics Championships
Athletics South Africa's Head of Performance, Hezekiel Sepeng, is optimistic about the nation's chances in the upcoming World Athletics Championships and next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. The 50-year-old Sepeng, who claimed silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the men's 800m, said ASA was now working better with its athletes and it was beginning to show on the track. Led by Akani Simbine, the SA men's 4x100m relay team claimed silver at the Paris Olympics last year. That relay team saw the world take notice of the young stars coming up in SA sprinting with Bayanda Walaza, Bradley Nkoana, and Shaun Maswanganyi forming the four-man team. Walaza (19), Nkoana (20), and Maswanganyi (24) will certainly be around for the next Olympics, and Simbine at 31 is still setting the standards of SA sprinting on the global stage in 2025. "The athletes are doing very well. If you go back a few years, if you compare it to now, we're sitting with athletes now that are, come 2028, they will be possible medallists. We are one step ahead of the other countries. But it's only a matter of planning because the main goal here is the September World Champs in Tokyo. But overall, the athletes are doing very well, and I think we are in the right space when it comes to the performance of the athletes," Sepeng told "The relationship between the athletes and the federation is in the right space. We listen to the athletes, and they share their goals with us. We needed to blend together. We need to get to that level where we are definitely confident for medals at the World Champs or the Olympics in 2028.' Simbine has the fastest 100m time in the world this year so far, with his 9.90 seconds he clocked in Gaborone, Botswana, on April 12. The 31-year-old Simbine is also unbeaten in five races now, following his victory in the Diamond League in Rabat on Sunday. His time in Rabat of 9.95 was well ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.05) in second and Fred Kerley (10.07) in third. Meanwhile, Walaza, having turned 19 in February, and despite his ungainly running style, he just keeps producing faster times. On Saturday, Walaza clocked 9.94 at the Boris Hankezovic Memorial meeting in Zagreb. It's yet another SA junior record, and he tied the fourth fastest time ever run by a South African. It's also the third fastest time in the world this year. Sepeng said the success of the men's relay team has been inspirational. "If you look at 2016, where we had Caster, Luvo Manyonga and Wayde, they were medallists at the Olympic Games and World Champs. After them, it faded. We introduced the relays because we thought that we could fast-track some of the athletes who cannot make the qualifying standards," said Sepeng. "We thought, let's put them in the relay, they can still go to World Champs in the relays and that kind of motivated them. I think one of the things that really motivated them was the four-by-one relays at the Olympic Games with the two young stars." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Temba Bavuma on Kagiso Rabada: Our friendship comes first, I will be a captain later
SUPPORT Proteas captain Temba Bavuma (middle) has prioritised his friendship with Kagiso Rabada (left) following his suspension for a positive drug test, highlighting the human side behind the fast bowler. Picture: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma has said that people need to keep in mind that though Kagiso Rabada is one of the best cricketers in the world, he is also just a human who made a mistake. Bavuma was asked about his thoughts on Rabada, as the fast bowler has just completed a one-month suspension for taking a prohibited recreational drug, which is believed to be cocaine. Rabada took the drug out of competition and therefore received a more lenient sentence, as he was tested in January during the SA20. The fast bowler found out about his adverse result from the test on April 1 during the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he was playing for the Gujarat Titans. 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 ✕ Kagiso Rabada Faces Backlash After Positive Drug Test, Bavuma Offers Support The 29-year-old made the announcement at the time that he was returning to South Africa to attend to personal matters. Just days before he had served his full suspension, Rabada confirmed he had tested positive for a banned substance. The backlash has been fierce, with many viewing Rabada in a completely different light. Former Aussie skipper Tim Paine, for example, said the way the situation was handled 'stinks' since Rabada did not reveal from the start he was dealing with a failed drugs test. Bavuma, though, said he would be willing to support the leader of his attack every step of the way. 'Our friendship comes first, and I will be a captain later. We need to understand the human behind this, the biggest thing is the human, and we need to give him support,' Bavuma told 'A lot of people who have their own skeletons in the closet have been pointing fingers. Yes, we are role-models, but we also have our own flaws. People shouldn't be so quick to celebrate when we make mistakes. "KG is a close friend and I have been supporting him as much as has been needed.' Rabada's Return: Bavuma Speaks on Support, Lessons, and WTC Final Readiness When Rabada was informed of his failed test, he immediately flew back to South Africa to follow protocol set out by the SA Institute of Drug-Free Sports (SAIDS) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Bavuma said he had no concerns about welcoming back Rabada into the team ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, against Australia next month at Lord's in London. "From a captaincy point of view, I am happy with the [disciplinary] process and my focus is on the human being - making sure he gets the support he needs. "My biggest concern is for him personally, that he can deal with this and make sure he comes out of it as a better person. International sport is a tough place to be, you are constantly under the microscope and it's about how you can escape.' Of course, Bavuma was quick to acknowledge that much of the talk heading into the WTC final will now be centred on Rabada. Bavuma also likened it to the 2018 series with the Aussies in which Rabada was banned for two Tests for a seemingly innocuous shoulder nudge on then-skipper Steve Smith. Rabada had also picked up previous demerit points for an over-zealous celebration after dismissing Steve Warner during the series, and therefore the ICC had no option but to penalise the Proteas quick. "KG has accepted he made a mistake, now it's about understanding what role he played in it, why did he find himself in that situation? Is there something underlying? 'If so, then we must deal with that. We saw how controversial he was before in that Test series against Australia in South Africa in 2018. But we also know how that series ended [South Africa won 3-1]." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Rabada one of 16 cricketers tested during SA20 — SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport
The Proteas fast bowler has served a one-month suspension and is available to play again. South Africa's CEO of drug-free sport in the country, Khalid Galant, revealed on Wednesday that Proteas cricketer Kagiso Rabada was one of about 16 players tested for substance abuse during the SA20 cricket competition in January. Rabada recently returned to South Africa from India where he was playing for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League after it had been discovered he'd tested positive for an illegal substance during a random test during the SA20. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) said fast bowler Rabada had tested positive for a recreational drug and not a performance-enhancing drug. He served a one-month suspension and is back in India, and available to play fort the Titans. 'Not the only player tested' Galant told Rabada had been tested between his MI Cape Town team's match against Durban's Super Giants. 'He was tested after the match, he provided the sample, and that sample tested positive for substance of abuse,' Galant told 'We did about 16 tests throughout the SA20 competition. So, he wasn't the only player tested. 'In South Africa, in terms of this substance, I think we haven't had a positive in cricket in a few years. Internationally, it may be different. In the last two or three years, we haven't had a high number of positive cases in cricket.' Galant added only Rabada could currently reveal what substance was found in his system. The Institute for Drug-Free Sport could only disclose the substance after an appeal period had lapsed. 'Mr Rabada can disclose the substance. It is best to ask him. We are only able to disclose the substance after the appeal period has lapsed, which is 30 days from when the decision was rendered. 'In terms of the substance of abuse, there are four substances that fall into this category. It's cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and marijuana,' said Galant. Rabada earlier this week expressed his regret about using an 'illegal' substance. 'I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations. I am serving a provisional suspension, and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing.' Anything from a warning to a two year ban Galant further stated the institute followed world anti-doping rules in meting out the one month suspension. 'The World Anti-Doping Code, from which the South African Anti-Doping Rules are an iteration, a national version of it, sets out the framework for sanctions and how we should treat the sanction with an athlete who tests positive in the category of a substance of abuse,' said Galant. 'So, generally, the sanction can be anywhere from a warning, three months to two years. It all depends on the nature of the case and the concentration and whether the athlete can prove that he took the substance out of competition, but he tested positive, he still had remnants of it or metabolites of the substance during the competition test.' Galant further stated Rabada was able to prove the drug he used was for recreational purposes only. 'Both Saids and Mr Rabada had a pharmacological expert review the concentration, and the timeline based on the affidavit provided by Rabada, supported the data and the analysis supported his position that the substance was consumed out of competition.'
