Ntini backs Rabada to deliver for Proteas in Super Eights

Proteas legend Makhaya Ntini is backing speedster Kagiso Rabada to come good for South Africa as they open the ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight stage with a clash against the US in North Sound on Wednesday (4.30pm).

Rabada may have looked a step off the pace at the tournament, but the “Mdingi Express” believes “KG” will hit his straps and play an important role as the tournament runs deeper.

The former South Africa quick, who claimed 662 wickets in a 13-year international career, said any bowler who experienced a dip in form should focus on what they were good at and not get caught up in anything or by anyone negative.

“When it comes to performances, sometimes you have to give a person the benefit of the doubt,” Ntini told a SuperSport Virtual round table on Tuesday.

“Kagiso has so much experience, has played all over the world, and we know what he can do for South Africa.

“He needs to go back and think ‘how did I get where I am? Was I good at hitting the good lengths or was I good at just bowling as fast as I can?’

“Whether it is [Anrich] Nortje or Marco [Jansen] or whoever, they must reflect within themselves, how good they were at a certain period in their careers.

“In doing that, it will be easier to come back into good performances because you go back to things that worked previously and can then do that on the playing field.”

Despite making it through the group stages unbeaten, the Proteas batters have been far from their flowing best.

The adverse playing conditions at Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York, where they played three of their four matches in the opening round, did not help but it is understandable fans may be frustrated by the performances so far.

Only once in this edition of the T20 World Cup have the Proteas’ top six batters accumulated more than 100 runs, that coming in their final group match win against Nepal early on Saturday morning South African time.

Before that, they collectively managed to add 97 runs against Bangladesh, 99 runs versus the Netherlands and 74 runs against Sri Lanka in the opener.

Ntini says the Proteas must quickly and accurately assess conditions in North Sound, Antigua, and in doing so lay bare the threat that the US could pose.

“You need to respect every ball bowled to you, if it is a bad ball, you put it away, but if it is a good ball, respect it.

“If Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks bat for the first 10 overs, you are giving [Aiden] Markram, David Miller, [Heinrich] Klaasen massive stability within the top order. They come in and know exactly what they need to do.

“If Miller has to walk in with the score on 3/3, he cannot play his natural game, he [and his partner’s focus] has to shift to building an innings, which is difficult to do when you walk to the crease in the third over.

“Even if we lose wickets in the first 10, they need to walk in with a platform of 70 runs for example, we can get close to 200 because Miller, Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs will have the freedom to play their own game and add on to what has been put on the table already,” Ntini said. 

He said their lack of playing time together before the tournament could also have played a role in their slow performances in the opening stage of the competition.