Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will be looking to take his 300th wicket during the Proteas' two Tests in the West Indies. (Photo: Shaun Roy / Gallo Images) 
South Africa take on West Indies in a two-match Test series in the Caribbean starting on Wednesday.
It’s the Proteas’ first Test match in nearly six months, with only two members of the side that lost 2-0 to New Zealand in February included in the 16-player cohort in the Caribbean.
South Africa’s last Test match with a full-strength team available was a month earlier, the New Year’s Test at Newlands, which South Africa lost by seven wickets to India.
This means that after three attempts and more than seven months into the year, the Proteas are yet to win a Test match in 2024.
It’s no surprise then that South Africa languish in seventh place on the nine-team World Test Championship (WTC) table standings.
Fortunately for South Africa’s hopes of climbing up the table and contesting the final of the WTC next year, their opponents are at the foot of the table.
Unlike the Proteas, however, the West Indies have actually been playing Test cricket.
The Caribbean side were recently whitewashed 3-0 by England in England.
“They’ve been playing some cricket. There’s nothing we can do about that,” said Proteas pace ace Kagiso Rabada ahead of the first Test.
West Indies, though, are a much stronger outfit at home, where the conditions suit their skill-set.
“We know the challenge that lies ahead of us,” said Rabada. “We just need to make the most of what we have. We know that we can beat them, we do believe that.
“It’s going to be a tough series, it is a bit of a concern that we haven’t played together, but the exciting part is that it will be a good test to see what we can produce after having not played so much recently.”
Adjusting to conditions
Nonetheless, South Africa have an excellent red-ball record against the West Indies.
The Caribbean island side have beaten the Proteas on only three occasions in 32 attempts. Their most recent victory was way back in 2007 when they triumphed over South Africa by 128 runs in Gqeberha.
The other two victories came in 2001 and 1992, in Kingston and Bridgetown, respectively.
South Africa, meanwhile, have notched up 22 wins in that time with seven draws in between.
Rabada said that record bodes well when the teams lock horns from 7 August in the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.
“When you’ve played well against a certain team, you generally have an idea of how to beat them,” he said.
“That would definitely be the case, but you can’t take it for granted. Anything can happen in cricket, you take it for granted and you’ll be shown up.
“It’s about rocking up and striving to keep trying to play our best game regardless of what has happened in the past.
“When you step over that line, all of that doesn’t matter; it’s what happens inside the rope — that’s all that matters.
“But psychologically, leading into a game, does it take some pressure off? Yes, but when you get into the middle you have to zone all of that out.”
The conditions in the capital city, according to Rabada, are likely to favour a tactic South Africa has been hesitant to deploy: playing two spinners.
“Playing in Port of Spain, it’s drier conditions here in the Caribbean so we’re expecting the ball to turn,” he said. “We’re expecting them to play two spinners.
“They have good quicks and even though it spins here, there’s usually good pace and bounce.
“[Regarding] their batting lineup, there’s a few new names in there that we haven’t played against.
“It’s just about adapting to a few of their newer players.”
Chasing wicket No 300
Rabada is on the precipice of history in the Caribbean.
He needs nine wickets in the first Test in Port of Spain to tie with Allan Donald as the second quickest South African, by number of matches (63), to take 300 wickets — behind Dale Steyn who did it in 61 matches.
“I am aware of that [record],” Rabada said. “It will be such a special landmark, but I’m not focused on that. That’ll be a by-product — I’m focused on making sure I find a way to put in a [good] performance.
“Putting in a performance ultimately means the team is moving in the right direction, it means that I’m doing my part and being a good teammate.
“Those are the two aspects I’m focusing on more than how I’m going to get nine wickets.
“It will happen in due time, so there isn’t any great precedent in thinking about that too much — otherwise, it just takes your focus away from getting the job done.
“Whenever it does happen and if it does happen in this series, it will be phenomenal.”
The last time South Africa toured West Indies in a Test series was in 2021 when Rabada took 11 wickets across the two matches at a scary average of 11.45.
How has Rabada improved his on-field skill-set since then? Well, he doesn’t think he has. Instead, his stronger mental approach to the game has allowed him to execute his existing skills more consistently and under pressure.
“In terms of skill, I’m not sure I progressed more, other than mentally, which does help the skill side,” he said.
“The more you play cricket, the more you understand yourself. In the last three years I have grown mentally — going through trials and tribulations and learning to bounce back. Being practical about how I go about my game and finding nuanced ways to figure it out and learning lessons.”
Those trials and tribulations include South Africa’s recent seven-run defeat to India in the final of the T20 World Cup, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Rabada, though, will be aiming to make happy memories by claiming his 300th wicket, which, while not erasing the pain of the final might ease some of it, especially in a country he describes as his “favourite place to tour”. DM