Birthday special: Kagiso Rabada – Five best spells of the South African speedster
Kagiso Rabada is the most important member of the South African bowling attack today. Rabada is quick, can extract bounce off the deck, and can rattle the best batsmen in the world. He has already scalped 202 wickets in Test cricket at an excellent average of 23.36. Even in the ODI format of the game, he has scalped 119 wickets as well.
With the South Africa bowling superstar turning 26 today, let us take a look at the 5 best spells from Rabada in international cricket.
5) 5/92 vs Australia (Tests)
Kagiso Rabada dished out a fantastic performance against the Australian side at the WACA in Perth. South Africa batted first and posted a total of 242 on the board. In reply, the Australian side scored 244, and there was nothing much to separate the two sides at the end of the first innings. In the 2nd innings, the Proteas scored a mammoth 540/8, with Dean Elgar and JP Duminy slamming centuries.
That left Australia with a target of 539 to chase. And, Rabada made the Aussies appear clueless. The right-arm pacer scalped 5 wickets in the 2nd innings, gave away 92 runs and helped his side to pummel the kangaroos by 177 runs. Rabada won the Player of the Match award.
4) 6/55 vs Sri Lanka (Tests)
Rabada’s fiery spell at Newlands in January 2017 allowed South Africa to beat Sri Lanka by a mammoth margin of 282 runs. South Africa batted first and posted 392 runs in the first innings, with Dean Elgar and Quinton De Kock scoring classy centuries. Sri Lanka produced a shoddy performance with the bat and were shot out for a total of just 110.
South Africa declared their 2nd innings with a total of 224/7 on the board. Chasing an improbable target of 507 for victory, the Sri Lankan side was bowled out for 224. And, it was Rabada who proved to be unplayable with the ball in the Sri Lankan second innings. Rabada sliced through the Sri Lankan batting line-up, scalped 6 wickets giving away 55 runs as South Africa decimated Sri Lanka.
3) 6/54 vs Australia (Tests)
Rabada fashioned South Africa’s six-wicket victory over Australia by picking up a total of 11 wickets in the encounter between the two sides at Port Elizabeth in the year 2018. Australia was bowled out for 243 in the first innings, with Rabada scalping a five-wicket haul. South Africa replied with 382, with the legendary AB de Villiers scoring a sparkling 126* off 146 balls.
Rabada once again shone with the ball in the second innings too, and picked up 6 wickets, giving away 54 runs as the kangaroos were bowled out for just 239. South Africa chased down the target of 101 with 6 wickets to spare.
2) 6/16 vs Bangladesh (ODIs)
Bangladesh were at the receiving end of a savage spell from Kagiso Rabada on 10th July 2015. The South Africa pacer scalped 6 wickets, giving away just 16 runs in the 8 overs that he bowled against the Bangladeshi Tigers. Rabada’s spell helped South Africa restrict Bangladesh to a total of just 160.
South Africa chased down the target with ease, with 8 wickets and 18.5 overs to spare. Faf du Plessis scored a sedate 75-ball 63* to help the Proteas cross the line. Rabada won the Player of the Match award.
1) 7/112 vs England (Tests)
The best bowling spell from Kagiso Rabada came in January 2016, against the England side at Centurion. The Proteas batted first and scored 475 in the first innings. Stephen Cook, Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock scored centuries for South Africa. England were bowled out for 342, and one man who stood out with the ball for South Africa was Rabada.
Rabada ended the first innings with the figures of 7/112 in 29 overs. South Africa declared their second innings with their scorecard reading 248/5, and that meant that England needed to chase down 382 runs for victory.
The England batting line-up came a cropper in the second innings, and the visitors were bowled out for just 101, handing South Africa a 280-run victory. Rabada picked up 6 wickets in the second innings as well and won the Player of the Match award.
