London [UK], June 12 : Australia's veteran batter Steve Smith heaped praise on South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada after his five-wicket haul on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's. Rabada ran through the Australian batting line-up with figures of 5/51, helping bowl out the opposition for 212 in the first innings.
Smith believes it's Rabada's consistency and competitive spirit that make him a formidable opponent.
"I wouldn't say he doesn't move it around. I think he's got good skills. He can shape the ball away; he can nibble it both ways. He's relentless; he's always at you. He's always up for the challenge, he charges in all day and his record speaks for itself, doesn't it? He's a quality bowler and showed that again today," Smith said in the post-day press conference, acknowledging Rabada's impact, as quoted from ICC.
Rabada's performance was not just significant in the context of the match, but also historically. With his five-wicket haul, he surpassed South African fast bowling great Allan Donald to become the fourth-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in Test cricket. Rabada now has 332 wickets from 71 Tests, edging past Donald's tally of 330 in 72 matches.
His five-wicket haul also earned him a rare spot in the record books. Rabada became only the second bowler to take a five-for in a WTC final, following New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, who achieved the feat against India in the 2021 final. Additionally, Rabada became just the second South African bowler after Jacques Kallis, who took 5/30 in the ICC Knockout Trophy final in 1998, to register a five-wicket haul in the final of a major ICC tournament.
Rabada's overall record in knockout matches at ICC events continues to impress. He now has 11 wickets in five such matches, at an excellent average of 19.27. His five-for at Lord's on Wednesday is now his best performance in an ICC knockout game, taking him to third on South Africa's all-time list of wicket-takers in ICC knockouts, behind Jacques Kallis (14), and tied with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald (12 each).
Lord's has been a happy hunting ground for Rabada. In just three Tests at the venue, he has now picked up 18 wickets at a staggering average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 30.2. With his performance against Australia, he also moved ahead of Morne Morkel (15 wickets) to become the South African with the most Test wickets at Lord's. Furthermore, he became only the third South African bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls at the historic ground, joining the elite company of Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini.
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