Kagiso Rabada: Where he stands among Test cricket’s wicket-taking greats

Kagiso Rabada’s performances with both the bat and ball went a long way to helping South Africa win the second Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Tuesday.

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Rabada picked up eight wickets – 5-60 and 3-46 – and also weighed in with 53 priceless runs – 6 and 47 – in a match the Proteas won by 198 runs to level the two-Test series.

He was named man of the match for his efforts.

Those eight wickets saw Rabada move to 52nd place in the all-time list of leading Test wicket-takers with 243 scalps, in what was coincidentally his 52nd Test.

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Kagiso Rabada, who will turn 27 on 25 May this year, is one wicket behind New Zealand’s South Africa-born change bowler, Neil Wagner, and has greats of the game like Australia’s Richie Benaud (248) and the West Indies’ Michael Holding (249) just ahead of him.

What would constitute a ‘legendary’ career for Kagiso Rabada when all is said and done?

He’s certainly not going to get anywhere near the all time record of 800 Test wickets by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, nor the most by a fast bowler of 640 (and counting) by England’s James Anderson who lies third overall.

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Rabada’s goal should perhaps be to become the No 1 South African wicket-taker of all time.

That record is currently held by Dale Steyn who took 439 wickets before hanging up his spikes.

Rabada is currently 194 wickets behind and at his current average of 4.67 wickets per Test, that would mean he would need to play roughly another 42 Tests.

Covid-19 disruptions aside, that means another five or so years – until his 32nd birthday – of staying injury-free and maintaining his current Test/wicket rate.

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Certainly not impossible, despite the fact Test cricket appears to be dying a quick death with fewer and fewer meaningful series being played.

Rabada is currently the seventh-highest South African Test wicket-taker with all-rounder Jacques Kallis ahead of him on 291 wickets.

Rabada’s next Test assignment is scheduled to be two Tests against Bangladesh in South Africa, but they clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL) which may see him play one – or none – of those matches.

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TOP 15 SOUTH AFRICA TEST WICKET-TAKERS OF ALL TIME: