A historic milestone was achieved on the final day of the third and deciding Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. Host nation pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada etched his name into the record books by securing his 350th Test wicket, cementing his standing among the greatest fast bowlers in the history of red ball cricket. At the close of play on day four, South Africa were bowled out for 387 in their second innings, leaving Australia with a 288 run target to chase on the final day. However, the visitors suffered a disastrous opening session on day five. Rabada struck two early blows before claiming Travis Head as his third scalp of the morning, reaching the 350 wicket landmark and eclipsing a prestigious record previously held by his compatriot Dale Steyn.
Shattering Dale Steyn's Long-Standing Milestone
In Australia's first innings of the Cape Town Test, Kagiso Rabada had experienced a relatively quiet outing, managing to take only a single wicket. Nevertheless, he produced a fiery resurgence in the fourth innings, tearing through the Australian top order early on day five to tilt the contest heavily in his team's favor. With this remarkable performance, Rabada has now become the fastest bowler in Test history to claim 350 wickets in terms of balls bowled. The record previously belonged to former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, who reached the milestone in 14,719 deliveries. Rabada comfortably surpassed that mark, requiring only 13,808 deliveries to bag 350 wickets in Test cricket.
Fastest Pace Bowlers to 350 Test Wickets by Deliveries
The elite list of fast bowlers who needed the fewest balls to capture 350 wickets in the longest format of the game highlights Rabada's extraordinary strike rate
- Kagiso Rabada (South Africa): 13,808 balls
- Dale Steyn (South Africa): 14,719 balls
- Waqar Younis (Pakistan): 14,905 balls
- Malcolm Marshall (West Indies): 16,285 balls
- Mitchell Starc (Australia): 16,908 balls
Fourth Fastest Pacer by Matches Played
In terms of matches taken to reach the milestone, Kagiso Rabada achieved his 350th Test wicket in his 75th appearance, joining West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall as the joint fourth fastest fast bowler in Test history. The record for the fewest matches to reach 350 wickets remains jointly held by Richard Hadlee and Dale Steyn, both of whom achieved the feat in just 69 Tests. Australian bowling icon Dennis Lillee sits second on the list with 70 Tests, followed by fellow countryman Glenn McGrath in third position with 74 Tests. Within South African cricket history, Rabada is now only the fourth bowler ever to cross the 350 wicket threshold in the traditional format, joining an exclusive group that includes Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock, and Makhaya Ntini.
