In a candid interview, South Africa's Kagiso Rabada sparked an important talk about where cricket is heading by stating, “You might as well call our sport batting and not cricket if there isn’t balance between bat and ball.” His emphasis captures an important part of the narrative the sport is gradually gravitating towards—the bias “run-scoring” phase, which is terribly disfavoring to the bowlers.

Rabada, infamous for his speed and accuracy, is convinced that the soul of cricket is fighting revolutions between bat and ball. However, bowlers today have to deal with exceedingly confident, yet inconveniently pancake-flat pitches, uninhibitedly short boundaries, and expertly crafted bats. This has been worsened by the advent of multiple T20 competitions, like the IPL, where the emphasis is largely put on boundary-filled batting shows at the expense of real bowling skill.

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He demonstrates his courage in battle during the IPL season, which is the hardest for him. Rabada debuted in 2017 with Delhi Daredevils, who have since been renamed to Capitals. Since then, he has captured 118 wickets in 81 matches with an impressive strike rate of 16.3 and an economy rate of 8.36. In 2020, he won the Purple Cap for best bowler after achieving 30 wickets in 17 games. He currently plays on the team Gujarat Titans in 2025.

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At 29, Rabada joins a chorus of purists and players condemning the diminished artistry in bowling and implores administrators to produce livelier pitches and control the gear to ensure an even match. His comments are a wake-up call, as test cricket’s essence relies on balance. Could cricket survive without it? It would definitely lose its soul. Will the authorities listen? The future is uncertain. 

Axar Patel’s brave attempt to turn the game around for India ended when Quinton de Kock’s excellent throw hit the stumps directly in the T20 World Cup 2024 final at Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.

Axar, who was playing exceptionally well, was out for 47 runs off 31 balls just when India needed him the most. This happened in the 14th over with Kagiso Rabada bowling.

Axar Patel’s brave effort in T20 World Cup Final

A misunderstanding between the batters led to Axar being sent back. De Kock quickly moved to his left, picked up the ball cleanly, and threw it accurately at the stumps. Axar was run out and had to leave the field to applause for his great performance.

The sequence started when Rabada bowled a length ball aimed at Virat Kohli’s body. Kohli tried to hit it to the leg side but missed, and the ball hit his thigh pad and rolled to de Kock’s left. Seeing Axar too far out of his crease, de Kock took the chance and threw the ball perfectly at the stumps.

The ball then deflected off the stumps and went towards the boundary between long-off and extra cover, but the replay showed that Axar was out of his ground.

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India’s resilient batting and South Africa’s steady response

Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first paid off initially as he and Virat Kohli started India’s innings aggressively, scoring 15 runs off the opening over. However, South Africa struck back swiftly with Keshav Maharaj dismissing Rohit Sharma (9 off 5) and Rishabh Pant (0 off 2) in quick succession. KG Rabada added to India’s woes by sending Suryakumar Yadav back to the pavilion for just 3 runs near the end of the powerplay.

Despite the early setbacks, Kohli and Axar Patel steadied the innings with a mature partnership, adapting well to the conditions and capitalizing on loose deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking. Their stand was crucial until Axar Patel fell short of his crease due to a sharp run-out by Quinton de Kock, ending their partnership at 74 runs. Kohli continued to anchor India’s innings, scoring a valuable 76 off 59 balls, supported later by Shivam Dube’s brisk 27 off 16 balls. Despite losing a few quick wickets towards the end, India managed to set a competitive total, crossing the 175-run mark.

South Africa, in response, started steadily, reaching 42/2 at the end of six overs. They lost early wickets but Quinton de Kock and Luke Stubbs stabilized their innings, aiming to build a solid foundation for their chase as they approached the middle overs.

SEE ALSO: Why is Prafull Billore, aka ‘MBA Chai Wala’, supporting South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 Final?