Willing to give my blood for this team: Rabada

South African fast-bowling ace Kagiso Rabada delivered both with the ball and in spirit during the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia, crediting mental resilience and team unity for their historic victory.

"There are normally two voices in your head, the one that doubts and the one that believes. The second is the one that we keep feeding, especially in big moments like this, the World Test Championship final," Rabada told reporters at Lord's.

"That's why you saw the performances you saw. It's a testament to our team this season," he added.

In a tense five-day encounter that spanned 10 gripping sessions, South Africa started strong by bowling out Australia for 212. However, they stumbled to 138 all out in their first innings, surrendering the advantage.

A critical second-innings bowling display turned the tide again, with South Africa reducing Australia to 73 for 7 at one stage. Though Australia recovered to post 282, it was still a manageable target on a flattening pitch.

Head coach Shukri Conrad praised the bowling unit — and Rabada in particular — for setting up the win.

"Where did we turn it around? Obviously, that bowling performance, because we could easily have fallen asleep in the field and then they would have gotten away from us in a big way," Conrad said. "As for KG — that's why he's the superstar. He knew we had one chance at it."

Rabada, however, humbly deflected the praise when asked about his stature in South African cricket.

"I don't see myself as a star," he insisted, despite being fourth on South Africa's all-time wicket-takers list and boasting the best strike rate among bowlers with over 200 Test wickets. "I see myself as someone who's willing to give my blood for this team and continue working hard and improving. That's me as a cricketer, always wanting to improve and playing for the badge with a lot of pride."

"I've been working extremely hard, and those second-innings spells, those are the ones that count more, when you're a bit tired. You could be behind the game, or you could be ahead of the game. This time, we're behind the game. But I think it was just about staying calm and looking at what's in front of us. That's the way I see myself."