Kagiso Rabada Makes History with Fiery Spell in WTC Final Against Australia
South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada lit up the opening day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia with a scintillating five-wicket haul, ending with figures of 5/51 in 15.4 overs. His performance helped skittle Australia out for just 212 runs, giving South Africa a crucial upper hand at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
But Rabada’s heroics didn’t just swing the momentum in the Proteas’ favour — they also carved his name deeper into the annals of South African cricket history. With this haul, the 30-year-old surpassed legendary fast bowler Allan Donald to become South Africa’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Rabada now has 332 wickets in just 71 Tests, eclipsing Donald’s tally of 330 in 72 matches.
This wasn’t just another five-for. Rabada became only the second bowler in WTC final history to take five wickets in an innings, following New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson in 2021. He also joined Jacques Kallis as the only South Africans to claim a five-wicket haul in the final of a major ICC event — Kallis having taken 5/30 in the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy final.
Rabada’s record in ICC knockout matches continues to shine. With 11 wickets in five such appearances at an average of 19.27, his latest spell at Lord’s is now his personal best in high-stakes ICC knockout games. This performance also sees him tied for third place on South Africa’s all-time ICC knockout wicket-takers list, alongside Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald (12 wickets each), and behind Jacques Kallis (14).
Lord’s continues to be a happy hunting ground for Rabada. In just three Tests at the venue, he has now taken 18 wickets at a jaw-dropping average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 30.2. With his latest showing, Rabada moved ahead of Morne Morkel to become South Africa’s most successful Test bowler at the historic ground. He also became only the third South African to take multiple five-fors at Lord’s, joining the elite ranks of Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini.
Rabada’s name is now firmly etched among the greats, and his performance in the WTC final is another reminder of why he’s one of the most feared fast bowlers in world cricket today.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
