Kagiso Rabada returned from a drug ban with a fiery performance in the WTC Final against Australia, taking his second five-wicket haul at Lord's and becoming the fourth-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in Tests.
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada was at his fiery best on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 against the defending champions Australia at Lord’s on Wednesday, June 11.
Opting to bowl first by skipper Temba Bavuma, South Africa bundled out Australia for 212 in the first innings of the WTC Final, with the pace bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen rattling the reigning champions in the first session, reducing them to 67/4 before Australia managed to recover slightly through a gritty 79-run partnership between Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) for the fifth wicket, eventually reaching 211 before being bowled out late in the third session.
Kagiso Rabada was quite impressive with his bowling as he registered his second five-wicket haul at Lord’s, becoming the third South African bowler after Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini to take multiple five-wicket hauls at the iconic venue.
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Drug ban put Rabada in the spotlight ahead of Lord’s showdown
Kagiso Rabada is playing his first international match after serving a one-month ban for reportedly consuming cocaine. This came to light after he returned home midway through IPL 2025, where he was playing for the Gujarat Titans. After being away from IPL for a month, Rabada broke his silence, stating he was serving a provisional ban for consuming recreational drugs.
Earlier this month, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) released the findings, where it was revealed that there was ‘benzoylecgonine’, a metabolite of cocaine, in the body of Rabada. The handling of the case drew criticism, particularly for the lack of transparency surrounding the ban. The former Australia captain Tim Paine criticized the doping agency for not revealing the details of Rabada’s failed drug Test in public.
Ahead of the WTC Final, Australia skipper Pat Cummins was asked whether his player would sledge Kagiso Rabada for his drug ban, but he completely dismissed the suggestion.
“It's not really our style. I'd be surprised if that came up." Cummins said, as quoted by The Guardian.
Rabada returns with more fire
The controversy around the drug ban and handling of the case did not hamper Kagiso Rabada’s focus on his game as he returned to the biggest stage with renewed fire and purpose. It seemed that the drug ban gave the South African pacer an added fire to prove his critics wrong, delivering a statement performance when it mattered most.
Rabada bowled with pace, precision, aggression, and discipline, rattling Australia’s top order and setting the tone for South Africa on Day 1. The right-arm pacer began with a wicket of Usman Khawaja (0), who misjudged the swinging ball and edged it towards the second slip, where David Bedingham completed a low catch. In the same over, Kagiso Rabada conceded a four against Cameron Green (4) before removing him, leaving Australia reeling at 16/2 in seven overs.
Kagiso Rabada failed to take a wicket in the second session as Steve Smith and Beau Webster frustrated the South African players with their gritty partnership, which was broken by Marco Jansen. In the third session, Rabada played an instrumental role in reducing Australia from 192/5 to 212 all out, losing five wickets in just 20 runs. The pacer picked a much-needed wicket of Webster before removing Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to register the figures of 5/51 at an economy rate of 3.30 in 15.4 overs.
With his five-wicket haul, Kagiso Rabada overtook Allan Donald’s tally of 330 wickets to become the fourth-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in Tests. After Proteas’ first innings bowling, Rabada’s tally stands at 332 wickets, including 17 fifers and 14 4-wicket hauls, at an average of 21.82 and an economy rate of 3.34 in 129 innings.
