Kagiso Rabada is once again the No.1 bowler in red-ball cricket according to the ICC world rankings, but as much as he believes Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game, South Africa’s spearhead says winning the World Test Championship is not at the top of his bucket list.
The Proteas, whose inability to win a limited-overs World Cup has baffled
cricket lovers around the globe, are in position to make the World Test Championship final next year, even though they are currently lying fifth in the standings with a win percentage of 54.17.
But their last four Tests in this cycle are all at home and winning all of those
matches, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will lift that figure to 69.44%, which will guarantee them a place in the final at Lord’s from June 11-15 next year.
Rabada, who reached 300 Test wickets in the least-ever number of balls during the recent 2-0 series win in Bangladesh, has said previously that individual milestones are not his main motivation, but winning a World Cup for South Africa is his chief goal.
Rabada said claiming the World Test Championship crown would not satisfy that itch, even though the longest format is his favourite.
“The T20 World Cup was extremely heartbreaking, but I feel we rose to the
occasion,” Rabada told SportsBoom.com.
“We are edging closer and closer to winning a World Cup and it’s just a matter of making that last, full step. But it was nice to be in that moment, we now know what it takes.
“But having that experience is important, coming so close under high pressure, experiencing that will be invaluable going forward. I think the lesson we take from that final is not to over-complicate things, but the lessons will apply to each individual differently.
“Winning the World Test Championship would not completely satisfy me, although I would still be very proud and it would be amazing to do it. But the 50-over World Cup has so much value and history; the World Test Championship is not there yet, it’s a new thing.
“For me, winning the ODI World Cup is the holy mecca. You lose one game in the playoffs there and you’re gone. Whereas the World Test Championship is about who the best team is over a two-year period. We are now at crunch time in that tournament,” Rabada said.
