South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada believes the Proteas have what it takes to shed the chokers tag and win their maiden world title in the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup in India. Despite having some star players, South Africa have never progressed behind the semi-final stage of any of the World Cups till date but Rabada said this time they have the arsenal at their disposal to create history. The Proteas will begin their World Cup preparations against Afghanistan in a warm-up match here on Friday.
“One thing we have never lacked as South Africans is belief, so going into the tournament we do believe we can win it,” Rabada was he was quoted as saying by ICC.
“We’ve got the players to do so, so hopefully we can make our first final and win this competition. It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be really enjoyable.
“It’s exciting to have the best players in the world playing against each other, competing for one prize, and we are up for the challenge.” The Proteas failed to advance beyond the group stage four years ago but are yet to taste a series defeat in ODIs this year.
The four-time semi-finalists struggled in 2019 but have since risen to fourth in the men’s ODI team rankings, and are full of confidence after a 3-2 series victory over Australia.
Twenty-eight-year-old Rabada, who is one of eight survivors from the squad who competed in England four years ago, is relishing the responsibility of being one of the team’s elder statesmen and helping captain Temba Bavuma plot the team’s path to success.
“The 2019 World Cup was my first and I wasn’t successful at all. The lesson I took from that is that team cohesion is the most important factor, because individuals don’t win World Cups, teams do,” Rabada said.
