Proteas quick Kagiso Rabada is targeting back-to-back SA20 titles with MI Cape Town while mentoring the squad’s young fast bowlers.
Mark Nicholas was on the mic. The man that has left us with the indelible “JP Duminy, you beauty, you superstar” in the 2008 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne was there to call the big moments again.
“It’s out! Oh, yes it’s out! MI Cape Town win SA20 2025!” Nicholas exclaimed at the culmination of last season’s final at the Wanderers.
After two underperforming years that saw arguably the most-resourced franchise in world cricket miss out on consecutive playoff berths in SA20, Robin Peterson’s team had completed the most remarkable of turnarounds.
From basement dwellers, they were now champions and knocked two-time winners the Sunrisers Eastern Cape off their perch.
At the centre of the triumphant moment was Kagiso Rabada. The mercurial fast bowler, standing in the middle of the South African cricket’s colosseum with his hands aloft like the gladiator that he is, taking in the applause.
It was Rabada’s fourth wicket on the night – big players and big stages and all of that – and as his teammates embraced him, the celebrations could begin with fireworks emblazoning the Johannesburg night sky.
“You’re only as good as your last game. And our last game we played was the final and we won,” Rabada said ahead of MI Cape Town’s tournament opener against Durban’s Super Giants on Friday (5:30pm).
“I guess it’s just about wanting to replicate that. It’s not about it being hard or not hard. It’s always hard in sport.”
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Rabada’s philosophical response stems from a decade-long career at the highest level. Plucked from the U19 World Cup winners’ podium where he bowled the Junior Proteas to victory in the UAE in 2014, the now 30-year-old has been the spearhead of virtually every attack he has formed part of since.
The responsibility has been immense. And more often than not “KG” has responded to the task. But there have also been darker moments when his resilience has been tested.
“The evolution of my career has been quite interesting,” he explains. “You go from stages where you feel like everything is in autopilot to stages where you feel like you can’t even fly the plane anymore.
“It’s about learning the basics and understanding that. Really navigating your way through the ups and downs. Sometimes it feels incredibly difficult. Sometimes it feels incredibly easy. But most of the time it’s just a good challenge.
“I think it’s just navigating the ups and downs and all the pressure that comes with playing cricket. That would be one of the things that stand out. Your character gets tested a lot. Your character will get tested a lot more than your skill.
“Normally when you respond to those challenges, when your character gets challenged, that’s when you generally up your skill. Your temperament, your patience, your understanding, your knowledge, it tests everything.”
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It’s this wealth of knowledge that Rabada hopes he can pass on to a crop of emerging fast bowlers such as the promising Tristan Luus and Tiaan van Vuuren at MI Cape Town.
“Tristan was here last year. He’s here again. Someone new in Tiaan. Tristan has been playing four-day cricket. He’s played a full season for the Dolphins. You can really see how much he’s matured just from one season. That’s really exciting to see. He’s bowling really well. I think he’s going to do well. Tiaan and I haven’t really interacted that much as yet.
“Wherever I can impart some wisdom from my experiences, I’m more than happy to do so. As long as it’s contributing to the team’s success, that’s mainly the bottom line of it all. It’s really exciting to see such great fast-bowling talent.”
Newlands is set to be a spectacle on Friday with a capacity crowd expected for MI Cape Town title defence opener.
The fans’ support was certainly a significant factor last season when MI Cape Town became just the second side in the short history of SA20 to win all of their five home matches.
“The 12th man at Newlands, of course, is going to be super important for us. We have to play well. Like we did last year, we didn’t lose a single home game,” he said.
“That brought the fans on to support us. That’s exactly what you want. That’s the type of ecosystem you want to be creating.
“We have a job. It’s a beautiful time right now. The festive season in South Africa. It’s a wonderful time to be watching cricket and watching the team that you are truly behind. We have to deliver for the team and also for Newlands faithful.”
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics
