A hundred eyes looked on in disbelief as he smiled, greeted and shook the hand of every junior cricketer he was about to oversee training with, in Alexandra.
Kagiso Rabada holds a practice with youngsters at Alexandra Cricket Club. Photo: Nicholas Zaal
Most children were shy and afraid to look Rabada in the eyes as he shook their hands, but this later gave way during training as they began to learn from their new coach for the day.
The event was organised by the Cricket Company on behalf of Blue Label Telecoms.
Rabada started with some basic fielding practice, with a few words on keeping balance, footwork and keeping eyes on the ball. The youngsters listened attentively, soaking up every word.
As high catches were practised, it was evident Rabada was enjoying the training session, taking a few excellent catches as a demonstration.
Sihle Makhobane fields the ball during the practice. Photo: Nicholas Zaal
But he was truly in his element when practice moved to the nets. Eager to impress, the young batsmen tried their best to smash balls as far as they could, while bowlers bowled their absolute hearts out.
Rabada was generous with his praise for those who did well, commenting loudly to the local coaches in attendance that ‘this player is very good’ once or twice.
