Kagiso Rabada played a limited role in South Africa’s drawn Test against the West Indies in Port of Spain last week.
While left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took center stage with eight wickets in spin-friendly conditions, Rabada stayed in the background. However, the 29-year-old could return to the spotlight in the second Test in Providence as he edges closer to a significant milestone.
The wiry paceman from Johannesburg, who managed just two wickets in three matches during his first Test tour of India, has since amassed 293 wickets in 60 Tests. With five more wickets against the Windies this week, Rabada will become the second-fastest bowler in the 21st century, in terms of matches played, to reach 300 Test wickets—trailing only the legendary Dale Steyn. At 29, Rabada has already established himself as one of the premier red-ball bowlers of the modern era.
Since his international debut in late 2014, only one bowler, Mitchell Starc, has taken more wickets than Rabada’s 522 across formats. Among seamers, no one has claimed as many Test wickets as Rabada in this period.
Combining consistency with an exceptional wicket-taking ability, Rabada has made the most of his first decade in international cricket. Having spent most of his professional career on the global stage, he has already climbed to 29th on the list of the highest wicket-taking seamers in international cricket. With plenty of cricket still ahead of him, Rabada could very well end up as South Africa’s most prolific pacer and one of the most successful fast bowlers in the history of the game.