South Africa completed a memorable 5-wicket win against Australia on Day 4 at Lord’s to win their first ICC title since 1998. A 27-year wait finally comes to an end for the Proteas. There were many heroes for South Africa in defeating Australia. One of them whom we cannot ignore was Kagiso Rabada. Yes, Aiden Markram walked away with all the accolades, but it was Kagiso Rabada who started it all on the first day and was the go-to bowler for South Africa.
Kagiso Rabada came into the WTC final under a lot of pressure from external factors. He failed a dope test and was suspended for a month. WADA and Rabada got into an agreement, and Rabada was spared a harsher punishment. Many felt he would be under pressure, and there was a lot of talk about whether it was right for Rabada to escape stricter punishment. One felt all these talks and pressure would get the better of Rabada. But he let the ball do the talking and kept South Africa in the game.
Kagiso Rabada’s five-wicket haul in first innings keeps Australia down to 212
When Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to field first on Day 1 of the Test match, it was imperative that South Africa strikes early and make sure that the decision taken by the captain was the right one. All eyes were on the spearhead Kagiso Rabada and he did not disappoint. He struck early picking up Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over to push Australia back. Yes, he was ably supported by Marco Jansen who picked the other two wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head to reduce Australia to 67/4 after the first session.
Thereafter, Australia had a partnership of 79 runs between Steve Smith and Beau Webster and Australia had a great afternoon session to take the score to 190/5 at Tea. After Tea, the Aussies collapsed and the man at the centre of it was their spearhead Kagiso Rabada. He picked up Webster and then followed it up with the wickets of Australian captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to complete a memorable five-wicket haul. He got into the honours board as well to finish with 5/51 in 15.4 overs as Australia were limited to 212 which was slightly under par at that predicament.
Kagiso Rabada’s four-wicket haul keeps the Proteas in the matchÂ
After conceding a lead of 74 runs, it was important that South African bowlers strike early and restrict Australia to as low a score as possible. Once again, the reliance was on Kagiso Rabada and boy he did not disappoint. Yes, the first 10 overs yielded no wickets, but it was Rabada once again who provided the breakthrough by picking up Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over to push Australia back.
Rabada needed assistance from the other end and this time it was Lungi Ngidi who supported him with a 3-wicket haul in the middle. Marco Jansen got Marnus Labuschagne out once again. Australia were reduced to 73/7 at one stage. The Aussies did recover thanks to Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc along with the lower order to get to 207 and set 282 for the win.
282 was challenging, but not impossible. Kagiso Rabada finished with 4/59 in 18 overs in the second innings and nine wickets in the match to give South Africa a good chance at the win. Had Rabada not fired in both innings, the target could have been over 350 and that would have been a different ball game. But Rabada’s efforts made sure it was below 300.
Thereafter, we know what happened with Aiden Markram’s 136 and captain Temba Bavuma’s gritty 66 leading South Africa to a famous win and a title after 27 years.
What Lies AheadÂ
South Africa will cherish this victory for a long time and celebrations will not stop in their dressing room. They have a bit of a breather now before they get back into action. They would not be playing a home Test match this summer. They will be touring Zimbabwe shortly at the end of the month.
Those fixtures will not be part of the new WTC cycle of 2025-27. Australia, on the other hand, will dust themselves off quickly. It is a bitter pill to swallow for Pat Cummins and his men. The Aussies don’t have much time to reflect on what happened in this game as they will be off to the Caribbean to take on the West Indies from June 25th. It is a 3-match series and will be part of the new cycle of WTC 2025-27.
Despite losing this game, Australia will look to roar back and will definitely start as favourites against Roston Chase led West Indies side come 25th of June. We will see how things unfold in this particular series.
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Temba Bavuma’s Brigade End 27-Year ICC Drought In & Dominate Day 4; Win WTC Final