Rabada 'chuffed at engagement from fans' after series win against Australia

Test cricket has never been on South Africans' minds more after 15 days of high-octane competition against Australia that has got everyone talking.

Almost two weeks have passed since South Africa claimed a stunning 2-1 series win over Australia at Newlands. But in the country's cafes, on golf courses, in boardrooms, and among groups of friends, the team's performance is still making up large chunks of the conversation as cricket dominates some of the public consciousness.

"I was really surprised at people's reactions to the series," Kagiso Rabada, South Africa's pace spearhead said in Johannesburg, where their next assignment against Bangladesh begins on Sunday.

"We were so focused on what we had to do. But every now and then, you'd scroll on Instagram, and people have all these different opinions about the standard of cricket and the level of cricket that is being played, and how each Test match went into day five with the possibility of two or more results, two or three results. That's a really good advertisement for the game, and it shows that people are watching."

Before you @Rabada, he knows that in-stadium attendance at some of the country's venues may not always support his statements. "I guess we just need to get one or two more people into the stadiums; I think that will help," he said.

The first Test against Australia, which South Africa lost in Durban, was the most poorly attended of the three, with under 20,000 fans in attendance over the five days. That match took place while the CBD was locked down as a result of riots in the streets, though that may not directly have affected cricket-goers. The Kwa-Zulu Natal Cricket Union are conducting a review into what went wrong.

The second match at St George's Park had attendance boosted by the ever-present brass band, while the third game, at Newlands, which is typically South Africa's best attended venue, reported sell-outs and had good crowds despite some empty seats.

"Cape Town showed how beautiful it could be when we get everything right," Rabada said. "But I'm really chuffed at the engagement from the fans. I have a bit more capacity to think about people watching cricket, and really being excited over a five-day period to see what's going to happen. That last series took me by surprise in that people were finding it really interesting."

It helped that during the time South Africa hosted Australia, the country's real darlings, the national rugby team, the Springboks, were on a break, and there were no international football matches for Bafana Bafana. But that changes this month. The Springboks are on tour in Europe, and in line for the Nations Championship final, while Bafana Bafana are scheduled to play Kenya in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

That, coupled with a challenging schedule that sees the upcoming Tests against Bangladesh start on a Sunday at the Wanderers and a Monday in Centurion could mean cricket loses its new-found mojo. South Africa are aware they need to be careful of fading into the background against an opposition that will attract far less attention than Australia.

"In international cricket, you can't take any series for granted," Rabada said. "There's always high stakes on every game that you play. Hopefully, we see some exciting cricket the way that we have seen in the previous series. It would show how healthy cricket is."

With the knowledge that Bangladesh have lost all eight Tests they have played in South Africa, and are coming off a home series loss to eighth-placed West Indies on the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Rabada would be forgiven for lacking a certain hype.

"It's human nature, and us, as athletes, we're all the same as these human beings, and sometimes you might not be quite on it no matter what you do," he said. "We've found ourselves on that side before where we probably get a bit too complacent. It's something that we have to guard against, and really give it our best shot and not drop the intensity to keep our standards right up there.

"We're not really thinking about the result. We're just going to think about how we want to play because actually that's what we've been doing these past two years - is [think] how we want to play, and having that desperation."

South Africa have plenty to play for, with a place in the next WTC final within reach. They are currently second on the table, with seven Tests left to play, and could need as few as three wins to reach a second successive mace match-up. With England visiting next and a tour to Sri Lanka to complete the cycle, Bangladesh present a perfect opportunity for South Africa to show their strength and edge ahead.

For that reason, head coach Shukri Conrad has labelled the upcoming series the "biggest" of the summer as it is what is in front of his team right now.

"Every Test series becomes the biggest Test series, so the next Test series is the biggest Test series of the summer," he had said after the Cape Town win against Australia. And he showed his conviction in that by picking the strongest squad available for the Bangladesh series.

Rabada, who returned from a serious hamstring injury to play the second and third Tests against Australia, will lead the attack, and has shown how crucial he is in that role. On his return, he took ten wickets in two Tests at an average of 24.70. South Africa won both matches, and the effect Rabada had on Marco Jansen in particular was unmistakable. Jansen was a little unsure in Durban, but with Rabada towards the end of the series, he was at his best, and later said having Rabada there gives him "that little bit of extra confidence".

Does Rabada realise the effect he has?

"I just want to be true to myself and true to the way that I would like to play and who I play for, and what it means for me," Rabada said. "Playing for South Africa is really like a blessing. It's a gift. It's something that not a lot of people get to do. Each and every day that I have the opportunity to play for South Africa and to represent my team-mates in South Africa and also myself is me just continuing to live my dream.

"So I just try to be myself. Within the team environment, what that means is giving my best and being optimistic and lifting up standards or upholding standards. That comes quite naturally to me. And if it rubs off, then it's only going to rub off in a good way."

With all the positive vibes around South African cricket, that also means there is one place they are not going: the Sandpapergate fallout. Having just hosted Australia, and with their involvement in the 2018 series where this saga was born, you would think South Africans will have some opinion on what went down. But right now, they're having none of it.

Asked what he thought of the blowback in Australia, on the same day Pat Cummins called Usman Khawaja's claim that the entire team knew about the ball tampering nonsense, Rabada played the perfect forward defence.

"My take is that we're not concerned about what they have to deal with," he said. "It's not our topic to deal with. It's obviously an Australian topic. I don't see where we get involved in that."