Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada plays down ‘special’ milestone

Concentrating on the task at hand, pace bowler Kagiso Rabada kept the fanfare to a minimum on Monday after he reached a memorable career milestone, taking his 300th Test wicket on the opening day of South Africa’s first match against Bangladesh in Mirpur.

Removing middle-order batter Mushfiqur Rahim during the morning session, Rabada became the sixth South African to grab 300 scalps in the five-day format after Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Allan Donald and Morne Morkel.

ALSO READ: The full list of Test cricket’s 300 club

Playing his 65th Test, he was the third quickest SA bowler to reach the milestone behind Steyn, who needed 61 games to hit the mark, and Donald, who achieved the feat in his 63rd Test.

“It’s an honour to represent South Africa and to be on that list with all those amazing players,” Rabada said.

Focussing on Bangladesh

Though he was embraced by his team on the field, as they celebrated the milestone, Rabada said he was more concerned about the ongoing challenge they faced against Bangladesh in their home conditions.

He was nonetheless pleased to have achieved a mark that drew comparisons between the 29-year-old speedster and some of the nation’s most iconic former players.

“When I came on to bowl this morning, I really wasn’t thinking about that wicket. I was thinking about how we’re going to win this Test match,” Rabada said.

“We lost the toss and were bowling first, so the first thing on my mind was ‘how are we going to get 10 wickets in this innings?’.

“But everyone in the back of their minds plays for milestones and it was a relief. The way my teammates supported me, that really felt good, and I’ll never forget it. It was a special moment.”

The Proteas held a 34-run lead with four wickets remaining in their first innings after the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur.

Despite their advantage, however, the tourists were relying on the lower half of their line-up to kick on when they returned to the field on Tuesday morning, as they looked to strengthen their grip on the game.