KG: I'm willing to give my blood for South Africa

ON the sidelines of the bedlam that exploded at Lord’s after the Proteas’ etched their names into the history books with a maiden World Test Championship title stood Andrew Breetzke.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS

The South African Cricketers Association chief could not believe what he was witnessing. The outpouring of emotion and joy on every South Africans face within the hallowed ground was a world away from the turmoil he was embroiled in just a couple of months before.

Kagiso Rabada had tested positive for recreational drug use, and with the WTC Final on the horizon, Breetze needed to act swiftly in piecing together the best team of legal and medical experts that could formulate a plan to ensure Rabada’s participation at Lord's.

The fact that in a previous life Breetzke was the Chairperson of the Anti-Doping Tribunal at South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport was a significant bonus.

“I am just so happy it all worked out,” Breetzke said with a sigh of relief.

A nation is equally grateful for Rabada’s star shone brighter than ever before during four engrossing days in St John’s Wood.