Winning the T20 WC trophy for team would be my biggest achievement: Kagiso Rabada

Gone are those days when South Africa used to be one of the favorites to win any ICC events. With transition hitting the team hard, the side has lost several players and superstars. This South African side does not look menacing on paper, and neither carries the scars of the previous editions of the tournament. One of the promising members of the team pacer Kagiso Rabada was quite an inexperienced member when the last time the T20 World Cup was played in 2016.

It is been five years and Rabada has turned out to be one of the best pacers of the current generation. The right-arm pacer will lead the attack which has the likes of Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Keshav Maharaj in the mix. This year South Africa is not the favorite, and Rabada feels that will work to their advantage.

The pacer also said winning the T20 World Cup would be a very special moment for him. “That would be extremely special,” he said to ESPN Cricinfo on Monday. “Hundred percent – It would be my biggest life achievement in sports, that’s what it would be. That would also be one of the highest achievements in cricket, that’s what is missing. It would be the icing on the cake. We hope we are the generation that can bring it [the trophy home].”

South Africa’s record in six T20 World cups that have gone by is quite dismal as the team has managed to reach the semis only on two occasions in 2009 and 2014. Kagiso Rabada is aware of the team’s performances in the past but is not looking at those records and numbers.

I don’t like to talk about the baggage and that’s something that’s happened in the past: Kagiso Rabada

“I don’t even actually like to talk about that [baggage] and what’s happened in the past, happened in the past,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about it too much, we have a challenge in front of us. No one in the past tried to lose games. We are coming in with the same mentality, whether we have baggage or not. I just think it’s not worth talking about, it’s just worth playing,” he added.

South Africa are placed in Group A and will begin their campaign by playing against Australia on Saturday (October 23).