Kagiso Rabada Achieves Milestone of 600 International Wickets

Kagiso Rabada Reaches 600 Wickets in International Cricket

Cape Town (South Africa), October 31: Kagiso Rabada, the South African fast bowler, has made history by becoming the fifth player from his nation to secure 600 wickets in international cricket. He reached this significant milestone during the ongoing third Test match against Australia in Cape Town, bringing his total to 601 wickets across 260 international appearances. Rabada now joins an elite group of South African bowlers, with Shaun Pollock leading the pack at 823 wickets, followed by Dale Steyn with 697, Makhaya Ntini at 661, and Allan Donald with 602 wickets.

In addition to this achievement, Rabada also marked his 350th Test wicket by dismissing Australian opener Travis Head for 14 runs on Day 5 of the match. He has become the joint third-fastest fast bowler to reach 350 Test wickets, accomplishing this in just 75 matches, sharing this record with Malcolm Marshall. Richard Hadlee and Dale Steyn hold the record for the fastest, having achieved it in 69 Tests, while Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath reached the milestone in 70 and 74 Tests, respectively.

Rabada's Record-Breaking Performance and Match Overview

Rabada leads the list of the fastest bowlers to reach 350 Test wickets based on deliveries bowled, achieving this in only 13,808 balls, surpassing Dale Steyn's 14,719 deliveries. Waqar Younis follows with 14,905 balls, while Malcolm Marshall and Mitchell Starc complete the list with 16,285 and 16,908 balls, respectively. With 601 international wickets, Rabada has solidified his status as one of South Africa's most accomplished bowlers across all formats.

During the ongoing third Test, Rabada delivered an impressive opening spell on Day 5, taking three vital wickets that put South Africa in a commanding position. After achieving both his 600th international wicket and his 350th Test wicket on the same day, he dismantled Australia's top order, leaving them struggling at 40/4 while chasing a target of 288 runs.

Australia began the final day needing 288 runs for victory but faced an early collapse as Rabada struck twice in his first over. He dismissed Matthew Renshaw for a duck and trapped Marnus Labuschagne leg before wicket for just four runs. Rabada then took down Travis Head for 14, marking his 350th Test wicket and leaving Australia in a precarious situation at 20/3. The visitors faced another setback when Josh Inglis was run out for four after a mix-up with Cameron Green, putting them at 40/4 after 15.3 overs. Green remained unbeaten on 16, with Australia still needing 248 runs to win.

Earlier in the match, South Africa scored 329 runs in their first innings, while Australia responded with 429, taking a 100-run lead. South Africa made a strong comeback in their second innings, scoring 387 runs to set Australia a target of 288. Key contributions came from Ryan Rickelton, who scored 101, and Wiaan Mulder, who added 115, playing crucial roles in turning the match in favor of the hosts.