South Africa know how to beat Australia: Rabada’s WTC final warning to Cummins

South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada has turned his attention to the World Test Championship (WTC) final after playing a key role in his side’s seventh consecutive Test victory.

Rabada issued a warning directed at favourites Australia, saying that the Proteas knew how to beat the Pat Cummins-led side. South Africa secured their place in the WTC final in emphatic fashion, cruising to a ten-wicket win over Pakistan. This marked their seventh straight Test win. The victory was hard-fought, as the Proteas toiled for two and a half days to dismiss Pakistan for 478 in the third innings.

A courageous century from Pakistan captain Shan Masood, supported by multiple contributions from his teammates, kept the contest alive. Pakistan managed to overcome the second-highest first-innings deficit in Test history, forcing South Africa to bat again. However, the modest target of 58 proved to be mere formality, and South Africa chased it down in just 7.1 overs.

Rabada’s six-wicket haul in the match once again underlined his importance to South Africa’s aspirations of lifting the WTC trophy at Lord’s this June. His devastating spells showcased why he will be central to their hopes in the final.

While Rabada acknowledges that South Africa will enter the contest as underdogs against the reigning champions, he remains confident. Having played a significant role in South Africa’s historic series victories over Australia in 2016-17 and 2017-18, he believes the Proteas have what it takes to upset the odds at the home of cricket.

“It’s actually quite some distance away, but a big occasion like the World Test Championship final gets you up for it,” Rabada said in an interview with SuperSport after the match.

“South Africa versus Australia has always been an intense rivalry because we play cricket quite similarly. We play hard – and they’re going to come hard at us, and we know that. But we also know how to beat them. One hundred per cent, Test cricket is still alive. It’s our best format that we’ve been playing right now.”

Rabada also highlighted the significance of Test cricket in South Africa’s rich cricketing history.

“When you look at South African cricket and all our legends, they’ve all been great Test cricketers. The world’s best players are Test cricketers, and this series against Pakistan has been a wonderful advertisement for Test cricket, especially in South Africa.”

With the WTC final looming, Rabada and his teammates are poised to reignite the fierce rivalry between South Africa and Australia, with hopes of bringing home the ultimate prize in Test cricket.