As the much-anticipated Test series against India looms on the horizon, South Africa faces significant anxiety over the fitness of their star pacer Kagiso Rabada due to a bruised heel. This concern is exacerbated by the confirmed absence of Anrich Nortje, who has been sidelined with a lumbar stress fracture, and the unclear situation regarding Lungi Ngidi’s readiness for the series. The South African cricket team is thus confronted with a potential crisis of pace power.
Rabada, who was slated to represent the Lions in a first-class match against the Dolphins at Kingsmead starting Thursday, has been ruled out, unable to return since the World Cup semifinal against Australia at Eden Gardens on November 16, where his involvement was curtailed to just six overs. South Africa’s team management, pressed for an update on his condition, stated that Rabada “will undergo further assessments,” offering no definitive timeline on his return.
Compounding South Africa’s troubles, Nortje has not graced the pitch since September 10 due to his injury, and Ngidi sustained a sprained ankle, relegating him out of the T20I series against India concluding at the Wanderers on Thursday, as well as the approaching round of first-class matches.
Set to begin in Centurion on December 26, the home side must now entertain the notion of leading their pace attack with relative newcomers Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee. These two promising talents are expected to play for their respective provinces in the week ahead and might be joined by Wiaan Mulder and the nascent Nandre Burger, both of whom are also included in the squad. While Jansen and Coetzee are seen as emerging stars with 44 and nine wickets in 11 and two Tests, respectively, the experience that Rabada, Nortje, and Ngidi bring to the table—with a collective 96 Test caps and 401 wickets—is irreplaceable.
Rabada alone embodies a cricketing journey of tremendous achievement, having debuted in Mohali in November 2015 alongside stalwarts Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, swiftly cementing his legacy as a preeminent fast bowler of this era.
Additionally disconcerting for South Africa is the situation with their captain, Temba Bavuma, who has not been engaged in competitive cricket since the World Cup semifinal. Bavuma was due to prepare with the Lions this week but withdrew to “attend to a personal matter,” a wrench in South Africa’s plans as reported in a Lions press release. Lions coach Russell Domingo openly expressed his disappointment at the absence of both Rabada and Bavuma from his team in Durban.
Thus, Bavuma will step onto the field after a five-week pause, shepherding an attack possibly far from what he might consider his strongest. This unsettled state of affairs is unlikely to sit well with the cricket-loving public of South Africa.
Meanwhile, India bears its share of concerns, particularly with Mohammed Shami, who clinched the title of leading wicket-taker at the World Cup with 24 scalps despite missing his team’s initial four matches. Shami has been troubled with an ankle issue and as of Thursday, reports suggested that he has yet to achieve full fitness.
As the series inches closer, it holds both teams’ fans in suspense over the condition of their heralded pacers. For the neutrals, the hope remains that the quality and excitement of seeing some of world cricket’s finest fast bowlers in action remains undiminished by injury and that the renowned pace-friendly pitches will still be graced by worthy contenders. For South Africa, already facing a challenging transitional period in its cricketing annals, the resolution of these injuries could either spell a reinforcement of their resilience or an ominous sign of vulnerability against a formidable foe like India.