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Feature: KG lights up Newlands doing KG things

general15 January 2025 10:10
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Kagiso Rabada © SA20

Kagiso Rabada masterclass inspires MI Cape Town to derby victory over rivals Paarl Royals at Newlands

The sun was gloriously setting over the awe-inspiring Table Mountain.

A sold-out Newlands was painted in blue and gold. The expectation was palpable in the air.

Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada to share the new ball against Joe Root and Lhuan-dre Pretorius.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Up first was Boult. A slow clap ensues.

Only to be followed by a hush of silence as the teenaged Pretorius clips Boult into the Railway Stand with consummate ease.

But now it was Rabada’s time. Or so everyone thought. Wait … not yet … It's Azmatullah Omarzai. Newlands groans in collective disappointment.

Even more so when Root strikingly reverse-ramps Omarzai into the stands followed by two further boundaries off consecutive deliveries.

WHERE IS KG?

After a couple more boundaries off Boult, the ball is eventually tossed to Rabada for the start of the third over.

WICKET! FIRST BALL! RABADA STRIKES!

Root caught smartly down the leg-side by George Linde at short fine leg.

It may not be the finest ball of Rabada’s career, but it has Newlands on its feet. The Blue and Gold army are in raptures.

What transpires the next 11 deliveries is a thing of beauty. There are few better moments in professional sport than watching high-performance athletes operating at their optimum levels.

Think Roger Federer in his pomp running down the baseline to deliver a backhand passing shot to save a match point against Rafael Nadal in a Wimbledon final. Or Lewis Hamilton’s impressive overtakes of Red Bull’s Mark Webber to win his first Grand Prix win for Mercedes.

And now here at Newlands was one of the greatest fast bowlers of his generation in the midst of delivering a masterclass.

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