Kagiso Rabada Surpasses Allan Donald in Historic WTC Final Performance

Rabada Achieves Milestone at Lord's

On June 11, during the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's, Kagiso Rabada reached a significant career milestone by surpassing the legendary Allan Donald, moving into fourth place among South Africa's all-time Test wicket-takers. His impressive bowling performance helped the Proteas restrict Australia to 212 runs, finishing with figures of 5/51.

Rabada expressed his pride in surpassing Donald, stating, "It means a lot to get past Allan Donald, what a legend." He emphasized his commitment to performing well, saying, "My primary goal is to keep running in and doing the job."

Reflecting on the atmosphere at the venue, he noted, "I could feel the energy as soon as I arrived about a week ago. The support we received felt like a home game, and it means a lot to represent South Africa. I give my all every time I play."

Discussing the pitch conditions, Rabada remarked, "The ball was moving a bit. Initially, it was tough to score with the new ball, but as it softened, they managed to score some runs. However, on this wicket, you always felt that any ball could lead to a wicket, especially given their approach."

With this achievement, Rabada now boasts 332 wickets in 71 Tests, overtaking Donald's record of 330 wickets in 72 matches. He is now fourth on South Africa's all-time Test wicket-takers list.

His five-wicket haul also places him in the record books as only the second bowler to achieve this feat in a WTC final, following New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, who did so against India in the 2021 final. Furthermore, Rabada is the second South African, after Jacques Kallis, to take a five-wicket haul in a major ICC tournament final.

Rabada's performance in ICC knockout matches is noteworthy, with 11 wickets in five matches at an impressive average of 19.27. His five-wicket haul at Lord's marks his best performance in an ICC knockout game, placing him third on South Africa's all-time list for wicket-takers in ICC knockouts, behind Jacques Kallis (14) and tied with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald (12 each).

Lord's has proven to be a successful venue for Rabada, where he has taken 18 wickets in just three Tests, boasting an average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 30.2. His latest performance against Australia has also made him the South African bowler with the most Test wickets at Lord's, surpassing Morne Morkel's tally of 15. Additionally, he joins the ranks of Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini as the only South African bowlers to have multiple five-wicket hauls at this historic ground.