DHAKA: South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada made history on Monday by surpassing Pakistan’s Waqar Younis to become the fastest pacer to reach 300 wickets in Test cricket during the first day of the opening Test against Bangladesh.
Rabada achieved this milestone in 11,817 balls across 65 Tests, breaking Younis’s 24-year-old record of 12,602 balls. He finished the day with impressive figures of 3-26 in 11 overs as Bangladesh was bowled out for just 106 runs. South Africa responded with 140-6 before bad light halted play shortly before the scheduled close.
The opening day saw a total of 16 wickets fall, with expectations that spin would dominate throughout the two-Test series.
“We anticipated some turn, but the new ball offered a bit of movement,” Rabada said at a news conference. “There wasn’t much swing, but we saw significant seam movement off the pitch.”
He noted, “What we experienced in the nets reflected what happened in the match. It’s turning for the spinners and seaming for the seamers, which was surprising.”
Rabada mentioned he wasn’t primarily focused on the 300-wicket milestone, although he was aware he was close to it. “I was more concentrated on winning the Test, especially after losing the toss and bowling first. When it happened, it was a relief. Milestones are great, but winning is what really matters.”
This achievement makes Rabada the sixth South African bowler to reach 300 Test wickets, joining the ranks of Dale Steyn (439), Shaun Pollock (421), Makhaya Ntini (390), Allan Donald (330), and Morne Morkel (309).
