It isn’t necessary to be especially close to Kagiso Rabada at the moment to see and appreciate the scale of the job satisfaction he is enjoying.
He is playing the best and most consistent cricket of his career precisely because he is playing less of it than before.
Rabada turns 30 in three months, usually a landmark which prompts many of the professional sports stars to re-evaluate their careers and begin to look for playing opportunities which not only pay well but provide them with the most pleasure — or at least, less pain.
But Rabada has always been well ahead of average, ever since he made his international debut a couple of months after his 18th birthday — and took a hat-trick before finishing with 6/16 in an ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Very soon, Rabada was not just an important member of the Proteas bowling attack, he was carrying it. He did so uncomplainingly, initially enjoying the thrill and the responsibility but, in time, the injuries and uninformed criticism began to take their toll. But most of all it was the relentlessness of it, always trying to be fit enough to “go again”.
On the few occasions he was rested, SA cricket followers raised their collective eyebrows and muttered something disapproving, as we do when our elite athletes aren’t playing every game, performing at their best and winning — all the time. Or at least, as we used to.
There have been several subtle changes in recent years regarding the management of player workloads, most notably that team management and coaches are just “getting on with it” rather than announcing it. They know, and have always known, how to get the best out of their players but were often hamstrung by meddling administrators and even public opinion.
The Proteas won just four of their 12 ODIs before the start of the Champions Trophy, including six consecutive losses before the opener against Afghanistan, with Rabada playing in just two of those dozen games. But just look at him now. Refreshed, fast and highly effective. Decisions were taken, not always broadcast, which were clearly in his and the team’s best interests.
Those decisions have “played a large, large role” in his current form and fitness according to the man himself.
“The more you play, it’s not always going to go your way. When it doesn’t go your way, you can get really mentally fatigued at the continuous repetition of playing,” Rabada told an online media gathering from Pakistan on Sunday.
“You end up starting not to enjoy it. I think the rest definitely helped. It helped me to, first of all, get away from the game. Then planning about the game and having some time to actually set some goals for myself. That helps,” a cheerful Rabada said.
Just a few short years ago, AB de Villiers prematurely ended his own career because he was accused of “picking and choosing” his international games when he asked for a brief sabbatical after 12 years of almost nonstop national duty. It was a bilateral series without context in Sri Lanka he wished to miss. Permission to do so, he was told, would come with (financial) consequences.
The current Cricket SA executive and the two national coaches deserve much credit for the grown-up treatment of Rabada and some of the other hard-working regular Proteas, not least for the fact that Rabada feels empowered and sufficiently supported to speak the truth.
“Have I had a say? I think I have. But I also think that there has been some proactivity shown from management, from Cricket SA…. it’s been hand-in-hand communication…. it definitely played a huge, huge part getting away from the game and feeling strong physically as well as mentally,” Rabada said.
Perhaps it was because it was a lazy Sunday afternoon, or perhaps Wi-Fi connections weren’t at their best, but Rabada’s interaction with the media lasted barely 10 minutes and just half a dozen questions. The great man is usually kept busy for a lot longer than that and hasn’t always enjoyed his time in front of the camera. We tend to ask some banal questions at times.
But when his session was done this time, he grinned — assuming the link had been closed — and said. “Wow, that was short.” He actually looked a little disappointed. Imagine that, one of the world’s best cricketers so inspired and invigorated that he may even have been enjoying talking to the media.
Rabada played a critical role in the Proteas reaching the World Test Championship final and he led the attack (yet again) with 3/36 to set up a 107-run victory against Afghanistan in the opening Champions Trophy fixture.
The second match, against Australia, is on Tuesday, which rather sets this column up as a test for what is known in the industry as the “back page curse”.
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