“Gets up for the really big moments” - Proteas players pick the ‘best bowler in the world’ ahead of AUS vs SA WTC 2025 final
South African players had their say on the current best bowler in the world ahead of their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia, which begins at Lord’s on June 11, Wednesday. Several Proteas players - Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, and wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne - rallied behind teammate Kagiso Rabada, calling him the best.
The South African ace pacer is currently ranked World No.2 in the latest ICC Test rankings, only behind India’s Jasprit Bumrah. The speedster’s performance will be key as SA aim to script history by winning the WTC final.
Kyle Verreynne told the ICC (via NDTV):
“KG's the best bowler in the world. Without a doubt, he's the best bowler in the world and I think he's one of those guys that always wants to do it on the big stage and you don't get any stages bigger than this, so I think he's going to be massive for us.”
“Any game that he plays in, any team that he plays for, KG with the Proteas badge, and I think especially in white kit, is a different beast. I know how much Test cricket means to him and I know how much he loves this current team and this space, so putting all of those things into his performance, I think he'll be a massive threat,” he added.
Bedingham also echoed similar views, saying:
“I genuinely think he's the best bowler in the world. He's played here (Lord's), he's taken wickets here before, so him going well will go a long way to us winning the whole thing. He's an amazing person... and he makes our jobs a lot easier. He's the leader of our attack.”
“Gets up for really big moments” – Aiden Markram backs Kagiso Rabada to deliver in WTC 2025 final
South African batter Aiden Markram has backed Kagiso Rabada to deliver with the ball in the WTC 2025 final against Australia. He told the ICC (via NDTV):
“(Rabada) gets up for the really big moments. He wants to lead from the front and he takes a lot of guys with him on that journey. So, obviously a big player for us, but he's (also) been complemented really well in the bowling department by everyone else and they've, sort of, found a way to work really well together. No doubt he's the leader of the attack, but he pulls guys with him and guys tend to follow.”
When Rabada last played at Lord’s, he scalped seven wickets, including a fifer, as South Africa beat England by an innings and 12 runs in August 2022. Overall, the 30-year-old has 327 scalps in 70 Tests (128 innings) with the help of 16 fifers and four 10 wicket-matches.