Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa, has admitted that Kagiso Rabada’s recent suspension may motivate the pacer before the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 final against Australia at Lord’s, which starts on June 11.
It was discovered in April that Rabada had tested positive for cocaine in January. He consequently played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 while serving a one-month ban. For the right-arm fast bowler, who is ranked second in the world Test bowling rankings, the incident has been a regrettable and humiliating chapter in his career.
“It’s undoubtedly inspiring. All of this has happened during the past few weeks. He spoke with the team and made himself available for any player to ask him more questions. We truly come here with the concentration of what we need to do, so as far as we’re concerned, that’s kind of behind us,” Bavuma stated during a news conference.
Additionally, I believe that he is in the best physical condition of his life. He will be even more motivated to play against the Australians. He’s in a great place, in my opinion,” he continued.
Bavuma believes that Ngidi and Rabada will do well against Australia.
Alongside Marco Jansen, the 30-year-old bowler will lead South Africa’s bowling attack; the first change is expected to be Lungi Ngidi. Veteran Dane Paterson, who had been a contender because of his experience in England, was passed over in favour of Ngidi. In the WTC final, the Proteas also took action by moving all-rounder Wiaan Mulder up to No. 3 in the batting order. South Africa will take against reigning champions Australia in their first-ever WTC final appearance.
It’s likely one of the more difficult choices we’ve ever had to make. The South African captain stated, “It was more from a tactical standpoint; probably a little bit more pace coming from Lungi.”
“Obviously, he’s rather young for that role. But after observing his growth over the past two years in the red-ball game, Bavuma said, “It’s about giving him a lot more confidence, backing him, and just letting him do what he does best.”
South Africa’s starting lineup for the WTC final:
Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, and Temba Bavuma (captain).
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