South Africa’s paceman Kagiso Rabada celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Will Young. Photo: AFP
PROTEAS PLAYER RATINGS: Elgar and Rabada – mixed fortunes!
Following the Proteas’ comeback victory against New Zealand, we dish out player ratings to stalwarts Dean Elgar and Kagiso Rabada.
South Africa’s paceman Kagiso Rabada celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Will Young. Photo: AFP
The Proteas impressively completed a clinical 198-run victory over New Zealand on Tuesday to draw the two-Test series. Considering how the South Africa were embarrassingly thrashed by an innings and 276 runs in the first Test, the emphatic victory on Tuesday represents one of their most impressive comeback wins of all time.
LATEST: PROTEAS IN STRONG FOURTH POSITION IN ICC WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP
In the first part of a new series, we take a closer look at how key Proteas players performed and hand out some ratings.
Proteas skipper Dean Elgar (6)
Purely from a batting perspective, this wasn’t a particularly memorable Test series for the veteran.
The 34-year-old recorded scores of one and zero in the opening encounter, albeit on an extremely seamer-friendly pitch that had a healthy covering of grass.
He did rebound with an important 41 in the first innings of the second Test to get the Proteas off to a strong start, which helped set the tone. However, he was dismissed cheaply once again in the second innings for just 13.
Yet, the fact of the matter is that Elgar also needs to be judged by his captaincy, which was simply superb – most particularly in the second Test.
Besides taking the brave decision to bat first, which really paid off, Elgar also pushed for the selection of Keshav Maharaj.
That also turned out to be a masterstroke.
There were some very clever and inventive field placings that yielded reward as well, proving that Elgar is an incredible student of the game.
READ | SENSATIONAL PROTEAS CLAIM CLASSY WIN OVER NEW ZEALAND TO DRAW SERIES
Ever-impressive Kagiso Rabada (8)
The Proteas fast bowler was understandably named the Man of the Match in the second Test, with Rabada having contributed in every department from bowling to batting to fielding.
Rabada took four wickets in the second innings, to go with his two scalps in the first dig; bowling with real control and accuracy.
He does appear to be down on pace to some extent, but after a rusty start in the opening encounter for all Proteas players, Rabada was at the heart of the team’s comeback.
His sensational 47 off just 34 balls when batting in the second innings was also a real joy to watch, and ensured the visitors reached an unassailable total.
Following on from a successful series against India, Rabada has again underlined his class as one of the most integral members of this Proteas team.
