Kagiso Rabada is about to join the 300 club: “He has an elite mentality”

Former Proteas batting star and current national team assistant coach Ashwell Prince has praised fast bowler Kagiso Rabada ahead of the first Test of two starting on Monday in Dhaka, Bangladesh, describing him as a player with “elite mentality”.

The 29-year-old fast bowler needs a wicket to join the 300-wickets club and become South Africa's sixth bowler to reach that mark.

The leader in wickets taken is Dale Steyn with 439 scalps, followed by Shaun Pollock (421), Makhaya Ntini (390), Allan Donald (330) and Morne Morkel (309).

Rabada's current 299 wickets come at 22.08 apiece, while his strike rate is 39.4 and his economy is 3.36. His best innings return is 7/12 and his best match return is 13/144.

“Lead from the front”

Ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, Prince said Rabada was an example of a player who loves Test cricket and playing for his country.

“He is determined to be a driving force for the team. He is an important member of the national team, he leads the way with his bowling and has a really positive attitude, especially towards Test cricket.

“There are many in the world today who don't see Test cricket as very exciting or profitable (like T20 cricket), but here is a guy who can play anywhere in any league, but he plays Test cricket for his country. said Prince.

“It means a lot to everyone and that’s the message he’s trying to get across.”

“Impeccable balance sheet”

Prince added that Rabada's leadership means a lot to the team.

“Even without the armband, he is a real leader on the team in more ways than one. He brings an elite mentality to the team and that can only be positive, especially for the younger players in the squad who can benefit from it.”

On his bowling, Prince simply said: “It's an impeccable record… 299 Test wickets at that average.”

Rabada first made a name for himself as a member of the South African under-19 squad at the 2014 World Cup, where he took 6/25 against Australia in the semi-final. South Africa won the tournament, with Rabada being the top wicket-taker. The next year, he was included in the Proteas' ODI and Test squads and made his Test debut against India on 5 November 2015 in Mohali.