New generation of young South African players gladdens Rabada while also calling Kwena Maphaka an “extremely exciting talent”.
Kagiso Rabada excited by the new generation of South African players.
Looking out at the South Africa dressing room as they get ready to play Australia in three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals beginning Sunday, Kagiso Rabada is reminded of his own youth.
The more seasoned players from South Africa stood tall when the two teams faced off in the World Test Championship final. With the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2027 home ODI World Cup approaching, they are now concentrating on developing younger players so that they have a benchmark for what to do in crucial situations.
“You were talking earlier about when I came here for the first time, that kind of reminds me of the space that they’re in,” Rabada, who is now past 10 years in international cricket, said on Thursday. “I’m sure they just want to do their best. They’ve got no fear. When you’re young, you’ve got no fear at all. And yeah, I mean, I’m excited to see how they’re going to go in their careers.”
Players like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who led the SA20 earlier this year, Dewald Brevis, who was slated for higher honours after making his debut at the Under-19 World Cup in 2022, and Kwena Maphaka, whose left-arm seam landed him an IPL contract at the age of 17 and a national cap at the age of 18, are part of South Africa’s white-ball team in Darwin.
Since taking nine wickets in the WTC final in June, Rabada has not participated in any cricket matches. He returned feeling “fully fit” after recuperating from those efforts with a vacation in Greece.
“Because of the fact that he’s a bowler as well, you know, kind of makes it more, from my point of view, that I’m obliged to almost take him under extra care,” Rabada said. “But I think he’s going to learn, you know, from his own experiences as well and from his own journey. And we’re just there to be a sounding board, you know, not necessarily get involved into their careers too much, but be sounding boards.”
Maphaka, who is still only 19, has been accelerated into the South African setup. He has already taken 18 wickets in two Test matches, two ODIs, and eight T20Is. Shukri Conrad was given the reigns in white-ball cricket as well, and the team as a whole is adjusting to new leadership. As they prepare for the upcoming international events, Rabada found some of the coach’s “left-field” tactics intriguing.
“You’re looking at growing this team within the next year and a half. That’s the bigger goal looking into 2027 [ODI World Cup], but certainly a short-term goal leading into the 2026 [T20] World Cup, looking at guys like David [Miller, currently playing in the Hundred in England], who are going to be back, Marco [Jansen, injured], who are going to be back. That gives a bit more of solidification in terms of the team and in mainly experience.
“But yeah, these games [against Australia] would be just to get a feel for one another as team-mates, how we’re going to go about it. And really, it’s just a work in process, there’s no fear of winning or losing. Although we play to win 100%, it is the main thing, but it’s a process and it’s a process of evaluation.”