WTC Final: Kagiso Rabada Surpasses Allan Donald To Become South Africa's 4th Leading Wicket
Kagiso Rabada made his way into the record books on Wednesday when he became the 4th highest wicket taker for South Africa.
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Rabada surpassed veteran pacer Allan Donald in the list of South Africa's highest wicket-takers in Tests. The 30-year-old now has 332 wickets in 71 Tests, overtaking Donald's tally of 330 wickets in 72 matches.
Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada etched another milestone into his illustrious career on the opening day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final as he surpassed South African great Allan Donald to move into fourth place on South Africa's all-time list of Test wicket-takers. Rabada's exceptional pace bowling display saw him taking 5/51 against the formidable batting lineup of Australia.
The right-arm pacer's fifer also earned him a rare spot in the record books. Rabada became only the second bowler to take a five-for in a WTC final, following New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, who achieved the feat against India in the 2021 final.
Additionally, Rabada became just the second South African bowler after Jacques Kallis, who took 5/30 in the ICC Knockout Trophy final in 1998, to register a five-wicket haul in the final of a major ICC tournament.
Lord's has been a happy hunting ground for Rabada. In just three Tests at the venue, he has now picked up 18 wickets at a staggering average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 30.2. With his performance against Australia, he also moved ahead of Morne Morkel (15 wickets) to become the South African with the most Test wickets at Lord's. Furthermore, he became only the third South African bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls at the Mecca of Cricket, joining the elite company of Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini.
"Means a lot to get past Allan Donald, what a legend," Rabada said after his outstanding spell. "Primary is to keep running in and doing the job," he said.
Reflecting on the day and the atmosphere, Rabada added, "Coming here about a week ago, I 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."
Speaking about the pitch conditions and the flow of the game, he noted, "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."Â
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