Kagiso Rabada insists there is no bad blood with Australia as he prepares to return to the scene of his controversial collision with South African speedster Steve Smith.
Rabada was declared fit to return from a hip tear and face Australia in his first match since May, the second Test at St George’s Park. The South African’s return comes at a crucial point in the series, with the hosts struggling to stay alive after being bowled out for 214 runs in Durban last week.
But given that Rabada was at St George’s Park in 2018, where he was initially banned for two Tests for colliding with Smith while celebrating his wicket-taking, it’s also timely.
Rabada ultimately had his ban reduced to a fine and was unhappy that Smith and the Australia batsman could not speak in court. The shoulder tackle and subsequent attraction was one of the last flashpoints of the ill-tempered streak before the ball-tampering scandal overshadowed everything.
Rabada has since played against Australia 23 times across all formats, while also being teammates with some in the franchise leagues. Speaking to local media before his return on Sunday, the 31-year-old made it clear he had no ill will towards Smith, even if he couldn’t meet up for coffee.
“It’s just the emotion of the game. It’s about playing within the rules,” Rabada said. “As an athlete, you want to go out and express yourself. There’s no hate or anything like that off the field. It’s a bunch of high-performance athletes with testosterone to burn. It’s the heat of the moment.
“But with the ICC, you have to take into account the established rules of spectators watching the game and keeping the game in a good light. That’s understandable. You need characters in sport. But you also have to play within the rules.”
Smith’s wicket was Rabada’s first of 11 in the 2018 match at St George’s Park en route to becoming man of the series. The right-hander also has the second-best record against Australia this century, with his 58 wickets at 21.39 trailing only India’s Jasprit Bumrah.
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“He will obviously feed off his performances against Australia,” captain Temba Bavuma said. “The bowlers feed off of him massively. He leads the offense in everything he does. And then I think he brings an extra confidence to the unit.
“You mentioned the aura. There’s a lot of confidence in KG and a lot of guys walk away from it. He’s raring to go.”
South Africa will wait until Sunday to decide their final sides, with rain forecast for the opening day and both teams preparing for a shortened Test. The Proteas have already confirmed Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne will be released, with Marques Ackerman and Matthew Breetzke expected to arrive.