The first day of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s was marked by some superlative bowling performances from both sides. For the Proteas, Kagiso Rabada picked a five-wicket haul while Marco Jansen took three as Australia were all out for 212. The Australian pacers breathed fire too in the final session as Mitchell Starc picked two wickets while Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood got one each to reduce South Africa to 43/4 at stumps on Day 1. 

The WTC Final Day 1 was also witness to a bizarre first in 145 years, i.e., since the format was first played in England (1880, England vs Australia, The Oval). The WTC Final was the first instance in 561 Tests in England that the No.1 batter (according to batting order) from both sides were dismissed for 0 in their first innings of the game. On Wednesday,  Australia’s Usman Khawaja and South Africa’s Aiden Markram were the two men. Hence, it became the first such instance in 145 years.  

Overall, it was the 10th time in Test history that such a thing has happened. 

Talking about the star of the day, Kagiso Rabada delivered a sensational performance, not only dismantling the opposition with a five-wicket haul but also etching his name deeper into South African cricket history.

Rabada claimed figures of 5/51 in 15.4 overs, helping bowl Australia out for 212. His fiery spell was instrumental in shifting the momentum in South Africa’s favour during a crucial phase of the match at Lord’s.

With this performance, Rabada surpassed legendary fast bowler Allan Donald in the list of South Africa’s highest wicket-takers in Test cricket. The 30-year-old now has 332 wickets in 71 Tests, overtaking Donald’s tally of 330 wickets in 72 matches. Rabada now sits fourth on the all-time list of South African Test wicket-takers.

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.

With ANI inputs