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Australia must beat South Africa in Durban today to keep alive the five-match ODI series. In winning the first two matches, the Proteas’ pace attack has underlined what a major threat they will pose in Australia this summer.
Australian fans know all too well about the rare gifts of South African spearhead Dale Steyn, who has mauled their side again and again in Tests.
But this ongoing ODI series is the first time many of them will have got a good look at the heir to Steyn’s throne, razor-sharp 21-year-old Kagiso Rabada.
The young Protea is a superstar-in-the-making. And this is not one of those pie-in-the-sky ‘I reckon he could be an amazing bowler in a few years’ type assessments. Rabada already is an incredible cricketer.
He is so good that in July he edged out all-time greats Steyn, AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla to win South Africa’s overall player of the year, as well as the awards for the best player in Tests and ODIs.
At 20 years old, on ODI debut, Rabada snared 6-16 against Bangladesh. Six months later he grabbed 13 wickets in the fourth Test against a rampant England side, which already had secured a series win.
Across all three formats, Rabada so far has hoarded 91 wickets at an average of 23.
He is the real deal. Not since Pat Cummins have I seen a pace bowler who is this good at such a young age. Unfortunately, Cummins’ career has been derailed by injuries. Rabada’s body appears far more resilient, which is crucial when you bowl at the kind of express pace that he and Cummins achieve.(Click to Tweet)
In the opening ODI against Australia last week, Rabada topped out at 153kmh. There are only a handful of bowlers in international cricket capable of reaching such speeds – Australians Cummins, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson, New Zealand’s Adam Milne, West Indies’ Kemar Roach, and Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz.
South Africa also have Steyn and Morne Morkel who, at 32 and 33 years old respectively, are not as sharp as they once were but are still capable of hitting the high 140s.
Rabada, Steyn and Morkel this summer will form the most intimidating Test pace trio to land on Australian shores for 20 years.
The West Indian attack of Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Courtney Walsh back in 1996-97 is the last such fearsome combination.
The one difference is that, back then, Australian pitches played like Australian pitches. The WACA and Gabba were rocket fast, while the MCG also offered plenty of assistance to the quicks.
More recently, the Australian Test decks have been an embarrassment – featherbeds seemingly designed to ensure the home pacemen didn’t eviscerate the batting line-ups of India, the West Indies and New Zealand, resulting in three or four-day Tests.
One can only hope we aren’t served up similarly benign surfaces this summer.
The first Test against South Africa in four weeks’ time will be held at the WACA, which sported a disgracefully dull deck last summer. Imagine the spectacle of watching Steyn, Morkel, Rabada, Starc and Josh Hazlewood operating on a rock-hard WACA strip?
We should get to see those elite pacemen in their element in the third Test at Adelaide. That match will be played under lights with a pink ball. Last year’s day-night Adelaide Test was the highlight of the summer, thanks to a juicy deck designed to help protect the pink Kookaburra, which wears far more easily than the traditional, red version.
Given the strength of each team’s pace attack, we could see some carnage at Adelaide. That would make a welcome change from the run-fests which have marred the past two Test home summers. And, make no mistake, Rabada will worry the home batsmen just as much as Steyn or Morkel.
Even if the pitches are flat for this series, the South African pace trio should remain threatening, particularly with the new ball.
With Starc having finally realised his immense talent with the red ball, this season shapes as a bonanza for fans of pace bowling.