Kagiso Rabada

One of the best bowlers from South Africa in the modern era, Kagiso Rabada is a right-arm fast bowler who plays in all formats of the game. By the age of 22, he was on top of both ICC ODI and Test bowler rankings, precisely by January 2018.

Rabada made his debut in December 2013 for the Gauteng team in the CSA Provincial One-Day Competition. He came into prominence at the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he claimed the best bowling figures of the competition with 6/25 and was the second-highest wicket-taker (14) of the tournament.

In November 2014, Rabada made his international debut in a T20I against Australia. In his ODI debut in July 2015 against Bangladesh, he achieved the best bowling figures in an innings 6/16 on debut. Rabada made his debut in Tests in November 2015 against India and again broke some records.

Rabada has also played county cricket in 2016 for Kent County Cricket Club. He is also a part of the Jozi Stars squad for the Mzansi Super League and plays for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Here are some of his major career achievements:

• In the IPL 2020, Rabada was the highest wicket-taker of the season with 30 wickets in 17 matches and was the second-highest wicket-taker of the 2019 season.
• In August 2018, Wisden crowned him as the best young player in the world for being the best men’s cricketer aged 23 or under.
• In July 2018, Rabada became the youngest cricketer to claim 150 wickets in Tests, aged 23 years and 50 days.
• In June 2018, he bagged six CSA (Cricket South Africa) annual award trophies, including Cricketer of the Year, ODI cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year, Fans’ Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Delivery of the Year.
• In May 2017, Rabada established one more record by becoming the youngest cricketer (at the age of 22) since Saqlain Mushtaq in 1998 to top the ODI bowler rankings.
• In July 2016, he achieved the feat of becoming the first cricketer to scoop six awards at Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) annual dinner, including the Cricketer of the Year title.
• During the 2015-16 England tour of South Africa, Rabada finished with an impressive figure of 13/144 and became the youngest South African cricketer to take a 10-wicket haul in a Test match.
• In July 2015, he became the second bowler, after Bangladeshi player Taijul Islam, to scoop a hat-trick in his ODI debut.