Rabada became just the third South African after Hugh Tayfield and Ntini to take 13 wickets in a match, and as Rabada steamed in to pick up four of the seven wickets that fell in the morning, Ntini, now a commentator, shouted from the stands: “Come on Rabada, get 13!”
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With just one second-innings wicket down and plenty of batting left in the pavilion, the equation already appears ominous.
“I see it as we’ve brought through two really good cricketers”.
“Every time I asked him to come out and perform for us, he did”, De Villiers said of Rabada.
Cook, meanwhile, singled out all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was named man of the series.
Centurion: Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s 20-year-old fast bowling sensation, routed England as the hosts gained a consolation victory on the fifth day of the fourth and final Test on Tuesday.
South Africa were 223-4 at tea, a lead of 356.
In the first innings of this test, Rabada took 7/112 in the first innings and only 6/32 in the second innings.
“It shows to me that we are nowhere near the finished article and still have a lot of work to do with our batting and catching, but that is exciting on the back of a 2-1 win”.
“I take my hat off to them”, said Boycott. They gave up quite easily in this dead rubber especially in the 4th innings but they will look to build on when their next Test assignment comes up at home during the summer.
Jonny Bairstow biffed his maiden Test century during the second Test in Cape Town – during a world-record sixth-wicket partnership of 399 with Ben Stokes – but also shelled a series of catches behind the stumps across the four games. It was the first pair by a South Africa captain for 114 years since Louis Tancred was out for a duck in both innings at the Oval in London in 1912. “Myself and Trevor (Bayliss, head coach) and the selectors will have to sit down and discuss that because the output we’ve had in this series hasn’t been good enough if we’re trying to get to
No 1 in the world”.
The previous highest chase successful in Test matches at Centurion Park was 251 by England in 2000, though the pitch was only used for two days in that match after rain spoiled the contest and the teams chose to forfeit an innings each to force a result. “He showed the maturity of a guy who has played a hundred Test matches”.
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“A couple of changes were necessary”, explained De Villiers. Next delivery, Rabada sent in a ball that shaped away to take an edge and remove Bairstow straight after his reprieve.
