CAPE TOWN - The last time South Africa visited New Zealand for a full tour their bowling attack consisted of the world’s premier fast bowler of the last decade.
It also had a new-ball bowler that seamed the red Kookaburra just enough to be chasing a record 50 Test wickets in only seven Tests and a giraffe-like paceman, who more than tickled the rib cages of the opposition batsmen with the steep bounce he generated from even the most serene surfaces.
Combine that with the skill-set of arguably the game’s greatest all-rounder and it was easy to understand why local scribes were purring about the quality of the 2012 tourists to the Land of the Long White Cloud, with senior correspondents comparing them to the legendary West Indian quartet that enthralled cricket aficionados during the 1980’s and early 1990s.
Their status in the world game was confirmed later that year when Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis formed the bedrock for Graeme Smith to lift the golden ICC mace handed to the World’s No 1 Test at Lord’s.
Five years on much water has flown under the bridge with most notably neither of the afore-mentioned quartet being available for the limited-overs leg of this 2017 visit. Kallis, of course, spends his time on the golf fairways instead of the nets these days having retired in 2014, while Steyn and Morkel are both battling long-term shoulder and back injuries respectively.
It is only Philander, who too is shaking off the effects of a minor injury, the confirmed participant in the three-match Test series that follows Friday night’s once-off T20 International at Eden Park and five One-Day Internationals.
Considering the way game fell apart in the Caribbean and how the West Indies’s results plunged into an inexorable decline after the retirement and injured-plagued absence of their fast bowling heroes, how is it conceivable that South Africa have progressed to the No 1 ODI ranking and still hold the highly-credible No 3 position on the Test rankings?
Much of that has to do with the arrival, and continued rise, of a panther-like 21-year-old from Johannesburg. Kagiso Rabada represents the present and future of South African cricket.
And if the recent past is considered with Rabada recently moving ahead of Steyn on the official ICC Test bowlers’ rankings to now officially be the leading active bowler in the Proteas team, the Kiwis, who have yet to see “KG” in action on their shores, will no doubt be similarly enthralled with the youngster’s searing pace, venomous bouncer and unrelenting stamina.
"He is the real deal," South Africa’s Test and T20 captain Faf du Plessis told the media contingent in Auckland. "He's someone who's going to be, injury permitting, just as good as Dale and Morne. He's going to be leading South Africa's attack for a very long time. From a captain's perspective, he's a guy in all formats who has the skills to do whatever is required.
"If it is to keep the game quiet, he's got the skill to do that; if it's to shut the game down, his yorkers are fantastic. Bounce and pace are what he's got, so it will be nice see what he can do in these conditions. He hasn't played in New Zealand so this will be a nice learning opportunity for him. He ticks all the boxes with his skills."
There is always great excitement when a new fast bowler arrives on the circuit. The Kiwis will certainly appreciate that having had a couple of rookie speedsters of their own hovering on the horizon for the past few years.
Unfortunately for them, as Du Plessis poignantly made reference to, the situation of “injury permitting” always has to be factored in when affirmations are made about young fast bowlers.
Case in point is Adam Milne. The Palmerston-North quickie burst on to the international scene as an 18-year-old back in 2010 already but has only appeared sporadically for the Black Caps over the intervening seven years with his most consistent run coming during the 2015 World Cup where he clocked speeds in excess of 150km/h before breaking down just before the epic semi-final against South Africa.
Ironically, Milne is on the comeback trail yet again and was scheduled to face the Proteas in their opening warm-up tour match on Tuesday after recovering from a list of ailments ranging from shin splints to an elbow injury and side strain.
He was forced though to keep the training wheels on with the T20 at the Eden Park outer field being washed out without a ball being bowled. It was hoped that the game would be the start of Milne’s road back into the Black Caps squad for at least the latter part of the ODI series against the South Africans, but his Pretoria-born Central Districts coach Heinrich Malan believes the 24-year-old rehabilitation programme should not be rushed.
"He's bowling nicely, has worked really hard on his fitness, getting his bowling loads up," Malan told the New Zealand Herald. ''But it's about looking after his wellbeing. There might be an opportunity and we have him on specific workloads to build up that resilience.
''It's not just bowling but spending time on the park for four days. We believe that's something Adam would benefit from and hopefully that falls in with plans from the Black Caps to get over that line.
''We need to build his confidence, have him trusting his body. The sooner we can get to that point the quicker he'll play for the Black Caps again and be a force again."
It is not only the Black Caps who will be hoping Milne becomes a “force again” for having genuine fast bowlers like Rabada and the Kiwis express parading their skills like gladiators hunting down their prey in the coliseums of the cricket world is not just an asset for their respective nations but for the global game as a whole.
Independent Media
Watch: Rabada's interview after taking six wickets for just 16 runs in his debut against Banglandes in 2015, to record the best ever figures by a ODI debutant.