Kagiso Rabada's comments came when South Africa is in contention to reach their first WTC final. In the Men's ODI World Cup 2023, South Africa reached the semi-final but suffered a loss against Australia. Their group stage run was brilliant, finishing in second place to an undefeated Team India, with seven wins and two losses
Kagiso Rabada. Pic/AFP
South Africa lead pacer Kagiso Raba said that winning the ICC World Test Championship would not satisfy him fully since the ICC Cricket World Cup has so much value and history.
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Kagiso Rabada's comments came when South Africa is in contention to reach their first WTC final.
Currently, the Proteas are placed in fifth place on the WTC 2023-25 points table and have a chance to seal the final berth. They need to win at least three of their last four Test matches of the ongoing WTC cycle, as per Wisden.
South Africa is yet to win a 50-over World Cup at senior level, for men's and women's both. In the concluded T20 World Cup 2024, the South African men's team fell short by seven runs against India and the women's team also fell short in two successive finals this year and last year.
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In the Men's ODI World Cup 2023, South Africa reached the semi-final but suffered a loss against Australia. Their group stage run was brilliant, finishing in second place to an undefeated Team India, with seven wins and two losses. Speaking to SportsBoom in an interview as quoted by Wisden, Kagiso Rabada said, "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 (reaching the final and on being verge of winning it), we now know what it takes. You need a bit of luck as well."
"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. But there was so much agony and once you feel it, you can't unfeel it." He added: "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 are 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," he concluded. Kagiso
In modern-day cricket, Kagiso Rabada is often hailed as one of the finest Test bowlers. In 66 Test matches, the pacer has taken 313 wickets with an average of 21.49. Combined with his 157 ODI wickets and 71 T20I scalps, Rabada has taken 541 wickets in 232 matches at an average of 24.06.
(With ANI Inputs)