South Africa need to carefully manage the workload of fast bowling star Kagiso Rabada, according to Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar.
Despite being just 22, Rabada has quickly become the leader of the Proteas’ pace attack and is currently playing in his 29th Test match against Australia in Cape Town, adding to the 64 appearances he has made in one-day internationals and T20I cricket combined.
The Johannesburg-born man has yet to show any signs of real toil on his 6’3” frame but Akhtar, a man who still holds the record for being the fastest paceman of all time after sending down a delivery against England at the 2003 Cricket World Cup which clocked 161.3km/h (100mph), feels the quicks always need special attention to make sure they are producing their best consistently.
“Yes, there is a concern (over how much Rabada is bowling),” the 42-year-old Pakistan icon told Sport360 ahead of his appearance on stage alongside former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag at the first-ever Colors Cricket Conclave event, held at the Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre in Garhoud on Thursday evening.
“You should not wear him out. You have to play it, play him smartly.”
Akhtar, who claimed 178 Test scalps and 247 ODI wickets in a glittering 14-year career, added: “If he’s not required for the smaller tours, don’t take him. Give him a rest, rebuild him and bring him back into cricket.”
Stumps go flying: The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ bowling at the speed of light.
Prior to the start of the third Test against the Aussies, in which Rabada was cleared to play after a shoulder clash with Steve Smith, the South African had bowled a staggering 8,044 deliveries in all forms of international cricket since his debut in late 2014, with the more experienced Mitchell Starc being the only other out-and-out express bowler to have delivered more balls in the same period (9,207).
While Rabada – the world’s top-ranked ICC Test match bowler – has yet to come close to the pace Akhtar bowled at during his peak years, the youngster is likely to keep pushing the speed gun marker.
And Akhtar believes the pace of any given delivery or spell always needs to be taken into account when analysing whether a fast bowler is taking on too many overs.
He said: “When you’re bowling under 140 clicks I think there’s a minimum stress but still there’s a stress, but be smart.
“The minimum overs I bowled in a year I think was 320 overs at 150km/h, against guys (great players) like Sehwag.”