Kagiso Rabada Creates History! South African Star Becomes Fastest Bowler To Take 300 Wickets In Tests

Star South African pacer Kagiso Rabada created history on Monday (October 21) by becoming the fastest bowler in the world to take 300 wickets in Test cricket. The right-arm pacer achieved the feat during Day 1’s play of the ongoing first Test between South Africa and Bangladesh at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. The 29-year-old pacer clean bowled Mushfiqur Rahim for 11 runs from 20 balls on the fifth ball of the 14th over to complete his 300 wickets in Test cricket.

Before Rabada, the record of fastest to 300 wickets in Tests was in the name of former Pakistani pacer Waqar Younis. The legendary cricketer crossed the mark in 12,602 balls, whereas Rabada needed only 11,817 deliveries.

Fastest to 300 Test wickets (by balls bowled)

• 11,817 – Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
• 12,602 – Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
• 12,605 – Dale Steyn (South Africa)
• 13,672 – Allan Donald (South Africa)
• 13,728 – Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)

Rabada, who made his Test debut for the Proteas in Mohali against India on November 5, 2015, is the sixth South African bowler to take 300 or more wickets in Tests. The overall record of dismissing most batters for the Proteas in the five-day format of the game is in the name of Dale Steyn.

The former world No. 1 Test bowler dismissed 439 batters in 93 matches. He is followed by former all-rounder and captain Shaun Pollock, who finished his career with 421 wickets in 108 Tests.

Makhaya Ntini, Allan Donald, and Morne Morkel are third, fourth, and fifth in the wicket-takers list with 390, 330, and 309 wickets, respectively.

Most wickets for South Africa in Tests

• 439 – Dale Steyn (93 Tests)
• 421 – Shaun Pollock (108 Tests)
• 390 – Makhaya Ntini (101 Tests)
• 330 – Allan Donald (72 Tests)
• 309 – Morne Morkel (86 Tests)
• 301 – Kagiso Rabada (65 Tests)*

By crossing the 300 mark in his 65th Test, Rabada also became the third-fastest South African bowler to reach 300 Test wickets in terms of matches taken. Steyn crossed the 300-mark in 61 Tests, and Allan Donald achieved the feat in his 63rd match.

After dismissing Rahim, Rabada got rid of Litton Das on the first ball of the 20th over to compound Bangladesh’s miseries in front of the home fans. The wicketkeeper-batter was caught by Tristan Stubbs for 1 run from 13 balls.

The two wickets so far in the ongoing match have also helped Rabada overtake legendary English all-rounder Ian Botham in the list of leading wicket-takers in international cricket. Botham finished his career with 528 wickets, whereas Rabada now has 529 dismissals to his name.