The speedster was not included in South Africa's playing XI for the 1st ODI against England.
Hours after England announced their playing XI for the 1st ODI against South Africa slated tomorrow (September 2), their counterparts have done the same. However, a big miss in the Proteas lineup for the series opener will be speedster Kagiso Rabada.
Apart from Rabada, Matthew Breetzke too has not been included in the South Africa playing XI. The duo is expected to be dealing with slight niggles, and as a result, the Proteas have decided to go the safe way. Workload management seems to be the way forward for a lot of players.
England are scheduled to host South Africa for three ODIs, which will be followed by as many games in the shortest format. The bilateral series will be played from September 2, and will last till September 14.
A bowler with the calibre of Kagiso Rabada not playing will increase the responsibility on the shoulders of Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi. Rabada’s pace and accuracy could have been a serious threat for the English batters, especially on the seaming surfaces in England. Along with Burger and Ngidi, Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder will have to team up to do the heavy lifting.
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In the 50-over format, Rabada has been a force to reckon with. In 106 matches till date, he has scalped 163 wickets at an economy of 5.08, which is considerably good. To add to that, the right-arm pacer is lethal in all phases of the game. He is known to trouble the batters and is difficult to pick off the good length. An economy of less than six in the 50-over format speaks volumes of his ability with the ball.
The 30-year-old last played an ODI in the month of March, in which he picked two wickets conceding 70 runs. Along with him, batter Matthew Breetzke, who has a brief career will also be rested citing reasons for a niggle.
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma, Tony De Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.
