Kagiso Rabada set for county stint with Kent
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada has signed up for Kent during the 2016 county season. He will enthrall audiences in England with his sheer pace and control for the better part of June and July. Kent unveiled the signing on their official website, today.
The 20-year old grabbed attention of the cricket world when he razed England in the final Test of the 4-match series to salvage some pride for South Africa. In a Man of the Match performance, he took 13 wickets and announced himself on to the stage.
Overall, he has taken 24 wickets from 6 matches at an impressive average of 24.70 and 30 scalps from 14 ODIs at just 20.13 for every wicket. Aside from the statistics, his fluent action combined with the ability to bowl in the high 140s have made him a bowler to look out for in the future.
An elated Rabada mentioned that the experience of bowling in the myriad surfaces of county cricket will hold him in good stead. He said, “I will play hard and try my best. I want to learn from the experience - particularly bowling in different conditions. Most of all I am looking forward to enjoying the experience.”
We’ve all been hugely impressed by Kagiso: Kent Chairman
Rabada will make his debut for Kent after the tri-series in the Caribbean involving South Africa, West Indies and Australia comes to an end. He will rejoin his national side for the home Test series against New Zealand. The exact dates of his county stint will be clear once the No Objection Certificate is issued by Cricket South Africa.
The seamer will lend a potent edge to the Kent attack during the fixtures against Essex and Sussex. He will also get to feel the adrenaline rush of the NatWest T20 Blast and is in line to feature in at least 5 games for the Spitfires.
George M Kennedy, Chairman of Kent Cricket stated, “We’ve all been hugely impressed by Kagiso in the recent series against England and I’m looking forward to seeing him playing for Kent this summer. He follows in the footsteps of a number of South Africans and I hope he enjoys his spell at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence and that Kent will become his county of choice for this very promising young bowler in future years.”
Kent is known for attracting several overseas professionals such as Rahul Dravid and Asif Iqbal. Rabada will join a side brimming with talented youngsters such as Joe Denly and Sam Billings.