Proteas only worried about winning, not making statements: Rabada

With two wins on the trot to open their Cricket World Cup campaign, the Proteas are understandably feeling confident, but Kagiso Rabada says they will not get carried away.

Rabada was one of the star performers as South Africa thrashed Australia by 134 runs in Lucknow on Thursday.

“We're still a long way away [from winning the tournament] but there are plenty of positives to take,” he said.

He picked up 3/33, obliterating Australia’s middle order, after excellent new-ball spells from Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen, who dismissed both of Australia’s opening batters by the seventh over of their run chase. 

Having flown under the radar in the build-up to the tournament, South Africa have quickly become one of the most talked about teams in India.

Their batting was dominant in the first match against Sri Lanka and on Thursday the seam bowlers made excellent use of helpful conditions under lights in another dominant performance.

“We're just looking to play our best cricket whenever we play a game. We're not worried about what statements we're making. We're only worried about the plans we want to execute,” said Rabada.

He and the rest of the bowling unit had been in the spotlight after the opening win in Delhi.

Sri Lanka scored 326, and for stages in that match they put the South African bowlers under pressure in conditions that were suitable for batting. 

That display came off the back of some insecure performances in the home series against Australia that preceded the World Cup, and along with the injury-induced omissions of Anrich Nortjé and Sisanda Magala there were concerns about how the bowlers would cope. 

Thursday’s was their best showing of the season so far.

Besides Rabada, Ngidi was mesmerising, getting the ball to zip off the surface and swing through the air while bowling at 140km/h. He picked up 1/18 in eight overs, while Marco Jansen, despite some erratic moments, picked up 2/54.

Spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj took two wickets apiece. 

“We were cognisant of the fact that we did slack off in certain areas in the previous game, but we had to acknowledge it was a very true wicket and a small ground,” said Rabada.

His own role in the opening two matches has been different, perhaps as a result of Nortje’s absence. Rabada has not opened the bowling, that job being done by Nigid and Jansen, but it has not made him any less impactful.

In both games, Rabada dismissed the opponent’s best batter — Kusal Mendis in Delhi and Steve Smith in Lucknow.

“He's a key player for Australia,” Rabada said of Smith. “He really binds that batting line-up together and he's always a key wicket in any format. But looking at one-day cricket, he has the ability to occupy the crease and also score runs while doing so.

“He was definitely a big wicket and we knew we had to get him early.

“The fact that I'm not opening the bowling was a team decision. Whoever's opening the bowling will be trusted to do so. It's a calculated decision. Any one of us can fulfil any role, so it could change moving forward — but for now that's the combination we went with.”

As was the case after the win in Delhi, Rabada said the Proteas will move on quickly from the Australian match, knowing they have a long way to go before a semifinal spot is secured.

“Generally I think we played nearly the perfect game of cricket. It's just about leaving this behind and focusing on the next game. That's it.”