South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada says his side does not feel any additional weight on their shoulders heading into next year's men's Cricket World Cup, even though they will be playing on home soil.
South Africa will jointly host the 2027 edition of the fifty-over World Cup alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia, and Rabada is looking forward to the tournament getting underway.
Speaking recently in Johannesburg at the official event where the venues and branding for the 2027 World Cup were unveiled, Rabada explained that hosting the tournament actually feels liberating rather than stressful for the team. He said he does not feel forced into thinking his side has to win simply because they are playing at home. Instead, he framed the tournament as an opportunity for South Africa to defend their own turf and represent their country with pride.
Part of that self-belief comes from the team's recent record across different formats, most notably their win over Australia in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord's in 2025, a match in which both Rabada and teammate Aiden Markram played leading roles.
Rabada has featured in South Africa's squads at the last two fifty-over World Cups, in 2019 and 2023. Asked about his own cricketing memories tied to the tournament, he pointed to a moment from before he was even born, in 1992. He named the spell bowled by Pakistan great Wasim Akram in that year's World Cup final against England as something that still motivates him today. In that match, Wasim dismissed two England batters in consecutive deliveries, a burst that helped swing the contest and ultimately delivered Pakistan their first World Cup title. Rabada described being drawn to that moment as a fellow fast bowler, admiring how Wasim combined pace, skill and presence to seize the game for his country.
Looking ahead to next year, Rabada said the belief within the South African camp is strong following their run to the World Test Championship final. He acknowledged that the team has already shown it can reach the latter stages of major events, and that the next challenge is turning those semi-final and final appearances into an actual title.