South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada achieved a significant milestone on Day 1 of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, surpassing Allan Donald to become South Africa’s fourth-highest Test wicket-taker. His impressive figures of 5/51 helped bowl out Australia for 212 on Wednesday, marking several records at the historic venue.Rabada now has 332 wickets in 71 Tests, moving past Donald’s 330 wickets in 72 matches on South Africa’s all-time Test wicket-takers list. “Means a lot to get past Allan Donald, what a legend. Primary is to keep running in and doing the job,” Rabada said after his performance.“Coming here about a week ago, could already feel the atmosphere. Great to see the support for us. Feels like a home game. Means a lot to play for South Africa. Given my all each and every time. Happy to do the job,” he added.
Kagiso Rabada is now fourth in the list of all-time highest wicket takers for South Africa in Tests (Image via X)
Discussing the playing conditions, Rabada shared his insights, saying, “It was moving around a bit. With the new ball it seemed harder to score. As the ball got softer and they showed intent, they got some runs away. But you always felt that, on this wicket, especially with the way they were playing, any ball had their name on it.”
The fast bowler became only the second player to claim a five-wicket haul in a World Test Championship final, following New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson’s achievement against India in 2021. He also joined Jacques Kallis as only the second South African bowler to take five wickets in a major ICC tournament final. Kallis had taken 5/30 in the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy final.Rabada’s performance in ICC knockout matches has been consistently impressive, with 11 wickets in five matches at an average of 19.27. This places him third on South Africa’s all-time list of wicket-takers in ICC knockouts, behind Jacques Kallis (14) and level with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald (12 each).Lord’s has proven to be a successful venue for Rabada. In three Tests at the ground, he has claimed 18 wickets at an average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 30.2.
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Is Kagiso Rabada South Africa’s best fast bowler of all time?
His latest performance made him the South African with the most Test wickets at Lord’s, surpassing Morne Morkel’s 15 wickets.Rabada also became the third South African bowler to achieve multiple five-wicket hauls at Lord’s, joining Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini in this elite group.
