Tried To Stop Kagiso Rabada From Playing IPL: Faf du Plessis
Updated - 25 Jun 2019, 02:46 PM
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis, on Sunday, criticised Kagiso Rabada after his team’s exit from the World Cup. Pakistan thrashed the Proteas by 49 runs to dump them out of the ongoing competition. With just 1 win from seven games, South Africa are now reeling at ninth place in the points table.
South Africa never looked in rhythm throughout the competition. Their only win came against Afghanistan who are languishing at the bottom of the points table. Kagiso Rabada’s performance with the ball did not help South Africa’s cause either. Hopes were high from the South Africa pace spearhead but he never quite managed to hit the top gear.
Kagiso Rabada has claimed only six wickets at an average of 50.83 and is ranked 25th in the World Cup 2019 wicket-takers’ list. His performance against Pakistan was even worse. The right-arm pacer conceded 65 runs off his ten overs without picking up any wicket. With South Africa’s journey now coming to an end in the tournament although they will play two more league games, Faf du Plessis hit out at Kagiso Rabada.
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The Proteas star revealed that he and the team management had tried to stop Rabada from playing in IPL 2019 to keep him fresh for this World Cup.
“But we did try and get him not to go to the IPL; to try and stay and get fresh. That wasn’t the case of — and then when he went there, we were like, let’s try and get him back halfway through the IPL because it’s important, not just for him, but a few other players,” said du Plessis in response to a question if Rabada’s lack of potency was down to fatigue.
Kagiso Rabada was in stunning form in the IPL, helping Delhi Capitals to make it to the playoffs. He picked up 25 wickets at an average of 14.72 from 12 games. However, his performance at the World Cup has left a lot to be desired.
“So I don’t think it’s not necessarily just the IPL, but it was important for a few guys to rest; and the fact that they didn’t meant that they-you know, they came into the tournament not fresh. That’s not an excuse; that’s just a fact. And KG is-you can see that his pace is probably a little bit down from where he normally is,” said du Plessis.
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Tagged:
ICC World Cup 2019 Kagiso Rabada Pakistan South Africa World Cup 2019