London: South Africa’s premier fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has set his sights on the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, expressing readiness to move past a recent setback that saw him suspended for one month due to a positive test for recreational drug use during the SA20 tournament.
Now eligible to return, the 30-year-old pacer has been named in South Africa’s squad for the highly anticipated WTC final at Lord’s, scheduled from June 11 to 15.
Having issued a public apology in May, Rabada is eager to shift the narrative toward cricket.
“I’m just glad to be playing again. The process was handled really well … I think, as a player, and a man, people will have their different opinions. I can live with that,” Rabada told reporters on Saturday before departing for London.
Acknowledging the disappointment caused, he remained firm in his stance that he would not excessively dwell on the past.
“There are some people who would have been disappointed and to those people I’m deeply sorry … The people closest to me are the ones I felt I let down.
But life moves on. I’ll never be ‘Mr-I-Apologise-Too-Much’. But I’ll never condone that action.”
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Rabada also emphasized his efforts to reconnect with his teammates, assuring that he values the bond they’ve developed over the years.
“I think I owe it to them (to talk about what happened),” he said. “They’re my team mates. We’ve come from so far.
I’ve already spoken to them and I guess we can do so in more detail when we get together for an extended amount of time.”
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Rabada is expected to spearhead South Africa’s pace attack in the WTC final, joined by Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, and Dane Paterson. The spin department features Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy.
With his return, South Africa will count on Rabada’s experience and firepower as they aim to claim their first WTC title at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
