South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada acknowledged that his team hasn't got off to the best of starts with the bat on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025. Rabada helped South Africa dismiss Australia for 212, and they later finished the day on 43/4.
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00:00After you've bowled Australia out, I'm sure everybody's feeling pretty good.
00:07What are your thoughts on the team's position at the moment?
00:10Yeah, 212, you take that.
00:12We thought probably 160 is what we should have had them at,
00:16but that's just the way the game goes.
00:18Right now, what, 40 for four?
00:21Not the start we're looking for, but there's still a lot of cricket
00:25to be played in this test match, so I'm just going to keep going for it.
00:30Koji's been an eventful couple of months in the life of Koji Rabada.
00:34When you went into this match, was there any kind of...
00:37I mean, you're a professional and you do things as best you can,
00:40but was there any kind of motivation to deliver the kind of statement performance that you did today?
00:45Yeah, obviously, it wasn't my best moment, as I've alluded to.
00:51Life moves on.
00:53I think every game that I play for South Africa, I try to do my best.
00:57So I didn't try to give any more or any less effort than I usually do
01:02in all the games that I play for South Africa.
01:04So that's what I try to do today.
01:07It seemed as though the ball was doing a lot in the morning,
01:12and even now when Australia were bowling,
01:14can you just talk a little bit about your assessment of what was happening in those conditions,
01:18and also how you saw Australia's bowling using the conditions?
01:22I think, yeah, the ball was nipping quite a bit and, you know,
01:26at times moving off the slope, you know, quite a lot.
01:33But I still felt like batters could get in.
01:37If you just bowled well and got more balls in the right area for a long period of time,
01:42then that's when you could create chances.
01:46But again, you know, with this ball getting older,
01:48hopefully we can score some runs as it gets older.
01:52Hey, KG, what did Stuart Broad kind of add, I suppose,
01:57to what you and the guys did today with the ball?
02:01Stuart, yeah, I guess he just gave us a few pointers, you know,
02:06perhaps on certain field placings and, you know, just in general the conditions
02:13and cloud cover and wind and all of that.
02:18So those will be key, key pocket rockets moving forward.
02:26KG, the five wickets aside, hi.
02:29Just going past someone like Alan Donald, you know,
02:34you're still just 30, you still have a lot of test cricket ahead of you.
02:37Do you think about those things, like where you fit into the scheme of things,
02:41the best fast builder South Africa or are you still just like head down,
02:45focused on the next day?
02:47Yeah, I mean, jeez, sometimes I ask myself if I'm giving you guys enough
02:52because you want to write, you know, a very interesting piece.
02:58But, I mean, it's honestly very simple.
03:01I sound like a stuck record because all that you do is try to improve
03:06and win games for South Africa.
03:08I guess to be named in that list, you know, of bowlers is special.
03:14As a player growing up and representing South Africa, you know,
03:20I've been inspired by those who've come before and seen, you know,
03:26what they've done on the big stage.
03:28And as a kid I was inspired, you know, to want to do the same thing.
03:32So, I guess to be listed in, you know, in that list of names is something special.
03:40And, yeah, long may continue.
03:44KJ, you mentioned before it should have felt like it should have been 160,
03:48you bowled them out for.
03:49How much of that has contributed to the Webster non-decision to appeal?
03:53And then what was your assessment of that in the initial stages?
03:57Yeah, Corbin Bosch came down to fine leg and he says it was out.
04:01And I was like, oh, man.
04:03Yeah, it was a bit annoying.
04:06He didn't start off too well there.
04:08It looked like he was going to get out any ball.
04:10But I guess his positive intent, you know, got him through.
04:15Cricket is a funny game.
04:19That's just how it goes sometimes.
04:20So, that's the way the cookie crumbled.
04:22KJ, we saw the batters absorb a lot of pressure.
04:27Eight runs in 72 balls in one partnership.
04:31We've seen this team counter-attack before.
04:33Was it a deliberate attempt to just absorb?
04:35Or was it because Australia were just bowling that well that nobody could get away?
04:39I guess so.
04:41As you've seen is what would have, you know, transpired.
04:44But, you know, they didn't miss their lengths and they bowled really well.
04:46So, we're going to have to combat that tomorrow.
04:49I'm going to take the last couple of questions.
04:52Kenan?
04:53KG, your five records means you joined the honours board today and it's the second time, obviously.
05:03Just what does that mean?
05:05It's actually pretty cool to go to have it in the home change room now.
05:08Yeah, so that's pretty cool.
05:12KG, Lungi didn't have quite as good a day as you did.
05:17Do you go and put an arm around his shoulders and have a chat with him?
05:22And what would you say if that opportunity came?
05:25Just tell him to have a good night's sleep, have a nice steak and a nice milkshake, watch a movie and come back tomorrow.
05:38KG, just in terms of the day as a whole, I mean, the emotions are quite up and down and I'm just wondering when you're actually in the thick of it, like, how do you manage that and what does it feel like to think, okay, we're on top, okay, this is happening, that's happening.
05:53Please repeat that, sorry.
05:55Sorry, I was just, you know, in terms of managing your emotions on a day where you get on top and then things go but badly, how do you manage that and what does it feel like?
06:04Yeah, I mean, being an athlete, it's all about managing that.
06:08In test cricket, you know, there's always nerves.
06:12So I guess dealing with it, I guess it's just understanding what's the bottom line and the bottom line is if you're a bowler, try a good line in length and as a batter, I guess it's about keeping the good ball out and scoring off it or scoring off balls that are not quite there.
06:33Miss executions from the bowler.
06:38That's the bottom line.
06:39So everything else is just noise.
06:42Everything else is just, it creates the package of cricket and of sports because you've got you guys, the journos, you guys write about everything.
06:53You've got the fans, you've got the entertainment around the game, but the bottom line is cricket.
07:00KG, maybe an odd question, but have you ever considered what makes you so good?
07:07What makes you so successful?
07:08Like in terms of the traits, obviously you've got the fire and you've got a great attitude and as Steve said, you're constantly at the batter with energy.
07:14But like actual traits, have you ever considered like what makes you stand out?
07:18A lot's been making me stand out of recent times.
07:25I don't know.
07:30You tell me, man.
07:31I don't know.
07:32I think my attributes, I think pace, bounce and movement and doing that consistently.
07:41Thank you very much.
07:42Thank you very much.
07:43...