Rabada is all about speed
"I am a fast bowler. Shane Warne said it best, if you're a swing bowler, you bowl swing, if you're a fast bowler you bowl fast," he said.
"So I want to bowl fast. If it's needed of me to slow down a bit and bowl line and length I'll do that, but my main goal is bowl quick."
Rabada, who is on the national academy training programme at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, was part of the 2014 Under-19 World Cup team which brought home the trophy.
He finished second on the list of most wickets at the tournament held in the UAE earlier this year, taking 14/144 from five matches, with best figures of 6/25 against Australia's under-19 team. He was one short of Sri Lanka's Anuk Fernando, who took 6/331 from six matches.
"I've got a love for the game, that's what keeps me going. It's not for anything else."
Rumoured to have bowled speeds in the region of 145 kilometres per hour during the under-19 world cup, the Lions fast bowler wants to keep working on his speed.
A student of the game, Rabada grew up admiring the exploits of current Proteas bowling coach Allan Donald, and the legendary West Indian pace attack of the 1980s.
"The guys who stand out for me were the West Indians, guys like Michael Holding and Joel Garner, they really did inspire me.
"The first bowler I ever watched was Allan Donald, he was quick. That's when I started wanting to be a quick bowler."
Of the current crop of Proteas players, Rabada said their were a number of players from whom he had drawn inspiration.
"I looked up to Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis and also AB de Villiers, but right now my favourite is probably Dale Steyn."
Rabada played two domestic four-day games for the Lions at the end of the season, and racked up seven wickets with best figures of 3/48 against the Dolphins in Durban.
Bowling off a two-step run-up at the academy in the indoor nets, Rabada started off with a couple tight deliveries just outside off. Less than an over of line and length, and the 19 year old got the ball to fizz away from the batsman at serious pace.
Clearly in control of his action, Rabada, however, said he was far from satisfied.
"Playing for the Lions was a step up, and I did better than I thought I would. "I'm still unhappy with a few things, but that's what we came here for -to work on those things."
Playing a number of sports during his childhood, besides cricket, Rabada excelled at tennis, rugby and athletics in the hurdles. But it was in the second year of high school that Rabada realised cricket would be the sport for him.
Rabada attended St Stithians College in Johannesburg, and had lofty ambitions.
"My long term goal is to play for South Africa and to one day be the best in the world. "I want to evolve as a player. I want to know the game in and out. I want to become a legend of the game, but stay humble."
(File photo:Gallo Images)