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Rampaging Rabada carries Proteas to series-levelling win
The young fast bowler finishes with 11 wickets in the match but there are still big doubts over whether he'll play the rest of the series.
The volatile Kagiso Rabada is a match-winner for the Proteas. Photo: Gallo Images.
Kagiso Rabada set the tone for what turned out to be the final day’s play as he dismissed Mitchell Marsh with his sixth delivery to set the Proteas up for a series-levelling six-wicket victory over Australia at St. George’s Park on Monday.
Rabada went on to finish with 3 of the 5 wickets on the final morning as the Proteas were left to score 101 for victory.
His innings return of 6/54 gave him his fourth 10-wicket haul at this level, only one shy of Dale Steyn’s South African best.
As this is only his 28th Test match, the 22-year-old could rewrite the South African bowling record book.
He has taken 30 wickets in five Tests in the current calendar year and this was his second 10-for this summer.
However, there’s still the real risk of Rabada missing the rest of the series due to on-field indiscretions.
The ICC still haven’t disclosed the outcome of his disciplinary hearing for making inappropriate contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith, while he was seperately charged again for his send-off of David Warner.
That charge is only a Level One offence.
AB de Villiers unbeaten century in the first innings must have pushed him hard as Rabada took the Man-of-the-Match award with his match figures of 11/150.
The lesson from this match for the Proteas was that they need their big-name players to fire when they come across opponents of this quality – and De Villiers and Rabada did that.
The two teams now move on to Newlands for the third Test match starting next weekend.
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