Proteas team coach, Shukri Conrad, shared his opinion on how to approach the return of fast bowler Kagiso Rabada to play before the series of matches against Australia in South Africa. He compared the player to 'the most beautiful woman you see—you have to wait for her.'
Although Rabada is still undergoing rehabilitation for a hamstring injury, he was included in the preliminary list of 18 players for the opening match of the series in Kingsmead on Monday. Nevertheless, Conrad reiterated that he will give his main attacking player as much time as possible to fully recover.
Conrad noted that the team will consider scientific data and the player's feelings, saying: 'We have smart people around us who understand science and data much better than me. Therefore, obviously, we will take all these things into account: how he feels, whether he is healthy, which is the starting point.'
He added that the decision to return should not be made out of desperation, but should be well thought out: 'We will give him as much time as possible. But we never want to make a decision based on desperation. So we will act reasonably again.'
Conrad acknowledged that the current situation with four fast bowlers—Rabada, Lungie Ngidi, Ottniel Bartman, and Kwena Maphako—suffering from hamstring injuries presents a 'small crisis' and causes concern. He stated that the team aims to avoid such problems in the future and is focused on finding solutions.
Besides Rabada, Conrad mentioned other fast bowlers who have been out of the main squad for a long time: Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, and Dan Patterson. Nortje has not played in red ball matches since Proteas' first match under Conrad in March 2023. Coetzee last wore the Proteas jersey in a match against Sri Lanka in November 2024, and Patterson was overlooked last year despite scoring five consecutive times in the last two matches at the end of 2024.