Kagiso Rabada Becomes Fastest Bowler to 350 Test Wickets by Balls, Taking 13,808 Deliveries
Kagiso Rabada has become the fastest bowler in Test history to take 350 wickets in terms of balls bowled. The South Africa pacer reached the milestone in 13,808 deliveries on the final day of the third Test against Australia at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, October 31. It was his 75th Test.
The 350th wicket was Travis Head. Rabada bowled a full delivery outside off stump on the last ball of the seventh over, and Head went for the drive. The ball took the edge and was caught at gully by Marco Jansen. Rabada had already set the tone in the first over of the chase. He removed Matt Renshaw for a duck and Marnus Labuschagne for 4. He finished with 3 for 39 as Australia were bowled out for 111 and lost by 176 runs.
Rabada took 911 fewer balls than the previous record holder. His fellow South African Dale Steyn needed 14,719 balls to get to 350. Rabada is also the quickest in terms of deliveries to reach 300 Test wickets, which he did in 11,187 balls against Bangladesh. That was ahead of Waqar Younis, who needed 12,602 balls. His strike rate works out to a wicket about every 39 balls.
| Bowler | Balls to 350 Test wickets |
|---|---|
| Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) | 13,808 |
| Dale Steyn (South Africa) | 14,719 |
| Waqar Younis (Pakistan) | 14,905 |
| Malcolm Marshall (West Indies) | 16,285 |
| Mitchell Starc (Australia) | 16,908 |
In terms of matches, Rabada reached 350 wickets in 75 Tests. That is joint-fourth fastest among fast bowlers, level with West Indies great Malcolm Marshall. Richard Hadlee and Steyn did it in 69 Tests. Dennis Lillee needed 70 and Glenn McGrath 74. Steyn is the quicker South African by matches.
Rabada is now the fourth South African bowler with 350 or more Test wickets. Steyn leads the list with 439 wickets in 93 Tests. Shaun Pollock has 421 wickets in 108 Tests, and Makhaya Ntini has 390 in 101 Tests.
Rabada also ends the series with a strong record against Australia. In 13 Tests against them, he has taken 68 wickets at an average of 21.88. Only Steyn, with 70 wickets, has taken more for South Africa against Australia. His record at Cape Town is also strong. He has taken 56 wickets there at an average of 22.46, which is second only to Steyn's 74 at Newlands.
The milestone came in a series-clinching win. South Africa won the Test by 176 runs and the series 2-1, and they moved to the top of the ICC Test rankings.