The history of South African fast bowling is astonishing, tracing several generations through the likes of Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and in recent times, Kagiso Rabada. Rabada did what no one in his lineage has managed to do before him, claiming an elite ICC trophy, spearheading South Africa’s campaign at Lord’s when they defeated Australia to claim the World Test Championship.
Match-Winning Brilliance of Kagiso Rabada at Lord’s
In the final itself, Rabada was the star man, grabbing 5 wickets in the first innings and adding 4 more in the second, the aftermath of a controversial month for the star man, this was a statement game, making history for his team.
In the aftermath of the victory, Rabada realized how crucial the victory meant for the team but also wasn’t afraid of dishing it back out to their detractors, enumerating that South Africa had accomplished the peak of Test cricket in spite of having constant naysayers and doubters who would knock down their achievement.
Kagiso Rabada Reflects on the Journey and the Win
“I can’t describe in words how it feels at the moment. Obviously extremely happy, throughout this entire season we’ve played really well, we’ve worked really hard. I think we deserve to get into this position,” said Rabada on his on-field interview.
“People were saying we weren’t playing good enough opposition, but I think that’s rubbish. We came here and we played the best team. Australia have been magnificent all season, and we had to be on our A-game to beat them,” said the 30-year-old, who was their leader with the ball as he finished with figures of 9-110, bowling his heart out throughout.
South Africa entered the match as underdogs, after receiving a relatively easy route to the WTC Final. Even so, they had to play their best cricket on the biggest stage to win the trophy something the team had failed to achieve for 27 long years.
An Unbeaten Run Culminates in Glory
South Africa’s winning streak continued with this victory at Lord’s. They remained unbeaten in their last four series, spanning eight Test matches. The South African cricket board has often highlighted how the team gets fewer marquee series against the ‘big three’ nations. At the same time, they have faced criticism for not encountering strong opposition on their path to the final.
Having reached the final, it did not matter to Temba Bavuma and his troops, who presented a brilliant performance to continue to fight back and remain alive, seizing the bull by the horns and concluding a memorable, historic Test win.
