Domingo likens 'special' Rabada with pace spearhead Steyn

South Africa coach Russell Domingo has lavished praise on fast bowler Kagiso Rabada by comparing him with the country's pace spearhead Dale Steyn as the 21-year-old begins a huge northern summer with the three-match ODI series against England, starting on Wednesday at the Headingley.

Proteas will be without their key bowler Steyn for the England series as well as for the Champions Trophy and Test matches that follow as he continues to recover from a shoulder surgery.

Meanwhile, Rabada, who made his ODI debut in July 2015, has grabbed a total of 57 wickets in 34 matches he played in the 50-over format since then.

With Rabada establishing himself as one of the most complete fast bowlers at the moment, Domingo has pinned high hopes on him in the absence of Steyn.

Admitting that Rabada can be as good as Steyn, Domingo said that the young fast bowler is a fantastic prospect for his side and that they are expecting good contribution from him in the upcoming tour.

"He could be as good as Steyn. He's a fantastic prospect for us and we're expecting really big things from him this tour.He's got pace and he's got a wonderful head on his shoulders, with a great outlook on life . just very simplistic and calm," cricket.com.au quoted Domingo as saying.

Domingo further insisted that Rabada's excellent physical condition can also prove beneficial in his bid to steer clear of injury, which is a part and parcel of every paceman's career.

Describing Rabada as their 'special' cricketer, Domingo admitted that the former is a fantastic bowler who needs to be managed carefully.

"If he takes his shirt off you can see why he doesn't get too many injuries - he's an unbelievable athlete.He is built unbelievably well for a fast bowler," the Proteas coach said.

"We have to manage him because he's a fantastic bowler who plays all formats for us and we have to be careful how we play him because he's a special cricketer," he added.

The fiery right-arm quick also finished with the figures of two for 26 in South Africa's warm-up clash against Northamptonshire on Sunday.