Holding urges Rabada to let the ball do the talking

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West Indies fast bowling great Michael Holding believes Kagiso Rabada can be a force for the Proteas for very long time if he just let’s the ball do the talking.

Holding, who took 249 wickets in 60 Tests for the great Windies side of the 1970s and 80s, has often been spotted chatting to the Proteas paceman during the summer in South Africa, where Holding has been commentating.

Rabada was banned for two Test during the recent series against Australia after brushing the shoulder of Steve Smith when dismissing the Australia captain.

Even though the ban was overturned on appeal, Holding was not happy with the conduct of 22-year-old.

In quotes published on the IOL Sport website, Holding said: “We have got to know each other quite well, away from the game. But when I saw him the next morning after that incident with Smith, I walked straight past him.

“He turned around, and said ‘what’s wrong, Mikey?’ I told him that he knew what was wrong, and that I wasn’t happy with the way he had behaved. We had a chat about it, and a lot of other people have been talking to him about those things.

“We spoke a bit after the India game when he had an issue in that series. The game has no place for that, all that talk. You’ve got a ball, and that does plenty of talk.”

Rabada is currently ranked as the number-one bowler in Test cricket and Holding has no doubt that the Proteas’ pace spearhead will be a major player if he can stay fit.

Holding went on: “He’s a good kid. ‘KG’ is a really good kid, and he is learning all the time. He has got natural pace, and then he is also a very smart kid.

“He asks a lot of questions about the game, and he can take as many wickets as he wants in the game. As long as he stays fit, he can be a force for South Africa for a very long time.”

Kagiso Rabada Michael Holding Proteas

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