Kagiso Rabada delivered an impressive bowling performance of 5 wickets for 51 runs against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final. The South African fast bowler etched his name into the history books by becoming only the second bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a WTC final, joining New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson, who achieved the feat in the 2019-21 final against India. Rabada had previously taken a fifer in that very final, cementing his reputation on cricket’s biggest stage.
Rabada’s remarkable effort came during the ongoing ICC WTC 2023-25 final between South Africa and Australia, held at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, which began on Wednesday, 11th June.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to field first. Kagiso Rabada immediately made an impact, removing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green (4) in the same over within the first hour of play.
He then maintained tight lines and lengths, consistently troubling the Australian batsmen. Rabada picked up the wicket of Australian captain Pat Cummins (1) with a brilliant delivery, before dismissing Beau Webster (73) and Mitchell Starc (1), completing a magnificent five-wicket haul.
Kagiso Rabada finished with outstanding figures of 5/51, playing a key role as South Africa bowled Australia out for just 212 runs. Marco Jansen supported well by claiming three wickets, while Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram also contributed with crucial dismissals.
With this performance, Kagiso Rabada surpassed Allan Donald to become South Africa’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Rabada now boasts 332 Test wickets, overtaking Donald’s career tally of 330.
Kagiso Rabada: Playing for South Africa Means the World to Me
Reflecting on his bowling performance, Kagiso Rabada expressed how much representing South Africa means to him. Speaking to broadcasters, he shared his thoughts on surpassing Allan Donald and the experience of playing recently:
“Coming here about a week ago, I could already feel the atmosphere. It’s great to see so much support—it really feels like a home game. Playing for South Africa means a lot to me. I always give my best every time and am happy to do the job. The ball was moving around a bit early on. With the new ball, it seemed harder to score, but as it softened and the batsmen became more aggressive, they managed to get some runs.”
“But you could always sense that on this pitch, especially given how they were playing, any ball could be their opportunity. That’s secondary to me—what matters most is continuing to run in and do the job. Surpassing Allan Donald is a huge honor; he’s a true legend,” Rabada added.
