Photo Credit: Cricket South Africa
South Western Districts Cricket has confirmed the appointment of Gurshwin Rabie as the head coach of the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers for the next two years. He succeeds Piet Botha who was appointed as the bowling coach of the Proteas national team. Rabie, who turns 40 in June, was the assistant coach of the Badgers for the past two seasons. With this appointment Rabie become the first local coach from the SWD ranks to be appointed as head coach since SWD’s inception into first class cricket.
His first-class playing career stretched from 2008 until 2017. He has played in 92 first class- and 48 List A matches for Western Province, the Cape Cobras, South Western Districts and the Warriors. He also represented the SA Universities between 2006 and 2009. In his career he bagged 92 wickets at first class level with a best bowling analysis of 8/60 (vs North West in Oudtshoorn in the 2011/12 season) and 48 List A wickets. In a match (vs KwaZulu Natal Inland in 2013/14) he produced figures of 12/17 and still holds the record for the most first-class wickets for the Badgers (261 wickets in 64 matches). For the 2011/12 season he received the Award as Three-Day player of the season at the annual CSA Awards function.
After his playing career, he moved into the coaching profession. He was first appointed as the Academy Coach at SWD (2016-2018) and fulfilled the similar role at Western Province between 2018 until 2021. During that period, he also coaches the victorious Cobras Cubs and Colts teams that won the respective Cricket South Africa National tournaments. In September 2021 he joined the Badgers as the assistant coach. He is a Cricket South Africa Level 3 qualified coach and in 2009 obtained a B Comm degree at the University of the Western Cape.
“Gurshwin has come on top following a recruitment process and this appointment will be a great opportunity for him to showcase his skills and qualities as a coach at the background of our expectations”, said SWD Cricket Chief Executive, Albertus Kennedy. “Promotion to Division 1 at the end of the upcoming 2023/24 season is high on our priorities and we are confident that Gurshwin with his support staff and the contracted squad will deliver the desired results”, concluded Kennedy. His position as assistant coach at the Badgers is now vacant and will soon be filled.
“I am very honoured to be named the head coach of the Garden Route Badgers, Rabie said. “It was always one of my dreams to become the head coach of the Badgers and finally I can do it and I’m very excited about the opportunity at the province where I learned my cricket. One of my first jobs it to create a culture and team environment to help the team to operate in a professional manner, secondly is to help the players to grow individually in their own games, ultimately to reach their own goals. And lastly to help the SWD to be elevated into the top tier of South African cricket”, he concluded.
In his response SWD Cricket president, Rudy Claassen, said that the Board has put a vote of confidence in his abilities as a coach with the aim to achieve the desired results. “We want to congratulate him with this appointment and trust that he will take SWD Cricket to new heights”, he said.
