Kagiso Rabada Becomes South Africa’s Highest Test Wicket Taker At Lord’s: WTC 2025 Final

Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final on June 11 saw South Africa’s bowlers ripping apart Australia’s fiery batting line-up. Thanks to Kagiso Rabada, who finished with the bowling figures of 5/51 in 15.4 overs and became South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in tests at the Lord’s stadium in London. 

The 30-year-old recently played his third test at this iconic venue and has surpassed the former South African pacer Morne Morkel’s 15-wicket tally. 

South African skipper Temba Bavuma’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss was favorable for his team. As a result, the Australians’ first innings total was wrapped up to just 212 in 56.4 overs. 

Rabada’s 5-fer not only tamed the game-changing knocks of Australia’s reliable batsmen Steve Smith and Beau Webster but also shattered multiple challenging records. 

With 336 wickets in 71 tests, the right-arm pacer became South Africa’s fourth leading wicket taker in the longest format, thereby breaking Allan Donald’s overall count of 330 wickets. 

How Rabada Became South Africa’s Top Wicket-Taker in Tests at Lord’s?

Before the WTC 2025 final, Kagiso Rabada had 13 wickets to his name and required another three more scalps to beat Morne Morkel’s record of 15 wickets in tests. 

After dismissing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green for single-digit scores, South Africa’s dynamic pacer levelled Morkel’s numbers and was just 1 wicket away from unlocking an exceptional milestone. 

In the fourth ball of the 55th over, Rabada grabbed a crucial wicket of Beau Webster, who played a fabulous knock for Australia, scoring 72 runs from 92 balls (4s: 11, 6s: 0, and strike rate: 78.26). As a result, the Johannesburg-born pacer became the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in tests at the Lord’s Stadium. 

A Complete List of South Africa’s Highest Test Wicket-Taking Bowlers at Lord’s ft. Kagiso Rabada 

With 22 wickets in 6 innings at an average of 16.45, Kagiso Rabada topped the charts as the leading wicket-taker for South Africa in tests at Lord’s stadium, and here is a detailed list:

IMPORTANT NOTE: Kagiso Rabada’s number of test wickets at Lord’s has been updated and modified after the conclusion of the WTC 2025 final between South Africa and Australia on Day 04 (14th July 2025, Saturday).

Second Bowler to Achieve 5-Wicket Haul in WTC Final: Rabada Unlocks Another Milestone! 

Interestingly, Kagiso Rabada became the second bowler to take a 5-wicket haul in the WTC final. Previously, New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson was the first entrant to the list, who achieved this remarkable feat in the WTC 2021 final against India. 

The Proteas pacer started South Africa’s title clash on a high note by claiming two wickets in his fourth over of the first innings. But, he was wicketless in the second session as Steve Smith and Beau Webster maintained a game-changing partnership of 79 runs. 

Despite Kagiso’s best efforts, Smith ensured his stay at the crease for a longer time and progressed to become the top visiting batter to accumulate the most test runs at Lord’s. 

Nevertheless, Rabada returned to his peak form in the post-tea session and wrapped up Australia’s innings by dismissing their captain Pat Cummins and in-form batsman Webster. Also, Mitchell Starc’s defensive approach was less effective against South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in WTC history.  

Here is a brief overview of those Australian batters who fell prey to Rabada’s 5-fer in a high-pressure WTC final (1st innings):