Happy birthday Kagiso Rabada: His memorable spells in Test cricket
South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada turned 25 on Monday. The pace spearhead has been bolstering the bowling attack of Proteas, especially in the longest format. He has successfully carried over the legacy in the bowling segment, established by the likes of Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald. In this article, we take a look at Rabada's famous spells in Test cricket.
In the 2016 South African tour, England had an unassailable 2-0 lead over the hosts. The Proteas entered the fourth Test at Centurion in quest of pride. His 112/7 helped South Africa gain a precious lead in the first innings. In the following innings, Rabada claimed six scalps as England were bundled out on 101. A staggering 32/6 handed South Africa a 280-run victory.
The Perth Test (2016) was equally poised after Australia gained a two-run lead. Notably, Rabada's in-swinging delivery to Usman Khawaja was deemed the ball of the match. In the second innings, the Proteas batsmen propelled the team to 540/8. Chasing a massive target, the Australian top-order was disarrayed by Rabada. He picked up a five-wicket haul as the visitors were bowled out on 361.
An all-time seed from Kagiso Rabada back in 2016 🔥
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) May 25, 2020
The Proteas superstar turns 25 today! pic.twitter.com/Pjt2tizsKo
Over a year later, Rabada repeated the show in front of Aussies, this time at Port Elizabeth. He decimated the star-studded batting line-up in both the innings. While he snapped up a five-wicket haul in the first innings, the second innings made his spells more intimidating. His 54/6 grabbed eyeballs as he continued to dominate the show. Rabada finished the Test with 11 wickets.
In the second Test against Sri Lanka, South Africa posted 392 in the first innings. The Sri Lankan innings ended on 110 with Rabada claiming four wickets. The hosts further extended their lead in the second innings, giving a target of 507 runs to Sri Lanka. Although Sri Lanka looked set to at one stage, Rabada's six-for produced a 282 run-victory for South Africa.
