What has happened to Kagiso Rabada?

Kagiso Rabada, the great pace bowler who sits in second-place on the ICC Test Bowling Rankings, has not seemed to be at his brilliant best of late.

What are the facts?

He picked up 11 wickets in 9 matches at this year’s 2019 Cricket World Cup at an average of 36.09 and strike rate of 42.5 – which is way below his career ODI average of 27.34 and strike rate of 32.8.

And in this year’s Mzansi Super League 2.0, he has taken only five wickets from the six matches he has played so far with an underwhelming economy-rate of 8.21.

So, what has happened to Kagiso Rabada?

• Maybe he suffering from burnout?

Most international balls bowled since 1 January 2019 (Test, ODI, T20I):

1. Nathan Lyon (Aus) – 11 340

2. Moeen Ali (Eng) – 10 198

3. Ravi Ashwin (Ind) – 10 090

4. Kagiso Rabada (SA) – 9 635

5. Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) – 9 289 

Rabada is the only fast bowler in the above top-five list, with the other four all spinners. It is a statistic that could be used to justify the notion that Rabada has been overworked at international level since breaking onto the scene as a 19-year-old. 

• Have his opponents worked him out?

As bowlers play more and more, especially with and against players of different nationalities in T20 tournaments around the world, opposition batsmen sometimes become accustomed to the skills a bowler possesses. The likes of Sunil Narine, Peter Siddle and Steven Finn have all been figured out by opposition batsmen and one wonders if Rabada is following suite.

• Is his tactical mindset not right?

In this year’s Indian Premier League, Rabada successfully dished out his yummy yorkers to bamboozle Kolkata Knight Rider’s Andre Russell as he defended 10 runs in the Super Over to lead Delhi to a delicious win at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. But since then, he has barely bowled any yorkers to help mix up his deliveries.

• Has the fame gone to his head?

Last year, Rabada may have got a sense of entitlement after Nissan gifted him a fiery red 370Z two-seater car‚ which is worth in excess of R700 000 and which pumps out 245kw horsepower.

Channel24 reported in August this year that Rabada has been working on a new song alongside SA’s self-taught producer and DJ, Da Capo, at the Red Bull Music Studios, in Cape Town. So, is Rabada spending too much of his time nurturing his other talents, and not fully focusing on honing his cricketing skills?

• Are the coaches not coaching him properly?

What Ottis Gibson did well in the early stages of his tenure as Proteas coach was to encourage Rabada to bowl fast and express himself, as well as helping him with his short-pitched deliveries. One wonders if Rabada, who is still in the early stages of his career, is receiving good and appropriate advice from his current coaches.

Rabada should not be used by coaches as a tool for short-term success. Instead, he should be nurtured holistically so that his career gets back on its tremendous upward curve.

*Statistics supplied by ESPNcricinfo.