Published: Feb 13, 2017, 05:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 13, 2017, 05:59 PM (IST)
Ahead of the New Zealand tour, South African skipper Faf du Plessis praised Kagiso Rabada saying he will become as good as Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel going by his current form. South Africa will play one T20I, five One-Day Internationals (ODI) and three Tests in New Zealand before their tour of England. He also warned New Zealand not to take Rabada lightly and also opined that the fast bowler is a player who can comfortably play across formats. Rabada’s last encounter was with Sri Lanka at home and he ended the Test series emerging as the highest wicket-taker, bagging 19 from 3 matches.
Du Plessis told stuff.co.nz, “He’s the real deal. He’s someone who’s going to be, injury permitting, just as good as Dale (Steyn) and Morne (Morkel). He’s going to be leading South Africa’s attack for a very long time. From a captain’s perspective, he’s a guy in all formats who has the skills to do whatever is required. If it is to keep the game quiet, he’s got the skill to do that; if it’s to shut the game down, his yorkers are fantastic. Bounce and pace are what he’s got, so it will be nice see what he can do in these conditions. He hasn’t played in New Zealand so this will be a nice learning opportunity for him.”
South Africa will miss pace spearhead Steyn for his injury while AB de Villiers will play only the limited-overs matches. The tour starts with the only T20I at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday.
