Kagiso Rabada achieved a significant career milestone on Sunday by surpassing Allan Donald to become South Africa’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in international cricket.
The 31-year-old fast bowler reached a career total of 606 wickets across all three formats, moving past Donald’s previous mark of 602, according to Yahoo Sports.
Shaun Pollock currently leads the national charts with 823 wickets, followed by Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini.
During the opening day of the first Test, Rabada recorded five wickets for 51 runs.
This performance marked his 18th five-wicket haul in the longest format of the game, placing him in a tie with Ntini for third place on the all-time list.
Rabada initially dominated the Bangladesh batting lineup, dismissing Mahfijul Islam, Mominul Haque, and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto early in the match.
The visitors were left reeling at 22/3 before Tanzid Hasan and Towhid Hridoy attempted to stabilize the innings.
Rabada returned after the lunch break to remove both Tanzid and Mushfiqur Rahim, securing his five-wicket haul.
However, the contest shifted dramatically as Hridoy and Litton Das formed an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 206 runs.
This stand represents the highest partnership by a Bangladesh pair against South Africa in their Test history, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Hridoy achieved his maiden Test century against the Proteas, finishing the day with 137 runs off 208 deliveries.
He is only the second Bangladesh batter to score a century against South Africa, following Mahmudul Hasan Joy in 2022.
Litton remained unbeaten on 92 as the visitors finished the opening day at 327/6.
Despite Rabada’s historic individual achievement, the match remains tightly contested as Bangladesh recovered from a precarious position to take control of the innings.
The day highlighted both the individual brilliance of South Africa’s star bowler and the resilience of the Bangladesh middle order in challenging conditions.