Kagiso Rabada has always been a name synonymous with world-class fast bowling. But at the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, the South African quick etched his name not only onto the scorecard but into cricket folklore—joining an elite club of just two members. His five-wicket haul saw him become one of the only players in history to feature on both the home and away honours boards at the home of cricket.
A tale of two dressing rooms
Cricket, more than most sports, is steeped in tradition. And at Lord’s, the so-called “home of cricket,” traditions are quite literally written on the walls—specifically on the iconic honours boards in each dressing room. To appear there, a player must achieve a century or a five-wicket haul in a Test match. That gold-lettered recognition is the stuff of dreams for many, and for most, a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.
Before Rabada’s five-for against Australia on day one of the WTC Final, only one player had ever earned the rare honour of having his name in both the home and away dressing rooms. That man was West Indies legend Gordon Greenidge, whose exploits in the 1980s earned him double recognition: centuries for the West Indies (214* and 103) in the away room and another (122) for the MCC in the home room.
Now, Kagiso Rabada joins Greenidge in that elite company. With South Africa allocated the home dressing room for the final, Rabada’s figures of 5-51 ensured his name would once again be etched into Lord’s history—this time from a different wall.
Stuart Broad’s quiet influence
If Rabada’s latest achievement seemed masterful, it may not have been entirely coincidental. In preparation for the high-stakes WTC Final, South Africa enlisted a uniquely knowledgeable consultant—none other than Stuart Broad. The recently retired England legend, who himself is featured on the Lord’s board for both batting and bowling, brought a wealth of experience from his 113 wickets at the venue.
Rabada appears to have made good use of the mentorship. Data from CricViz revealed that an astonishing 84% of his deliveries on the first day were on a “good length,” the most consistent he’s ever been in a single innings. His dismissal of Usman Khawaja—a delivery angled from around the wicket that squared the left-hander up—was a textbook Broad-like delivery.
“Stuart gave us a few pointers on field placements and how to work with the conditions—especially the cloud cover and wind,” Rabada acknowledged. He also credited the slope at Lord’s and subtle seam movement as key contributors, but emphasized that the team still felt they could have bowled out Australia for fewer runs.
Redemption on the world stage
For Rabada, this moment of triumph came not just as a sporting achievement but also as a form of personal redemption. Leading into the final, the 30-year-old fast bowler was under scrutiny following a brief suspension related to recreational drug use—an incident that briefly overshadowed his stellar career.“It wasn’t my best moment, as I have alluded to,” Rabada said calmly. “But life moves on. Every game I play for South Africa, I try to do my best.”
And do his best. On a day when 14 wickets fell, it would have been easy to attribute Rabada’s success to pitch conditions. But analysis by Test Match Special’s scorer Andy Zaltzman revealed that the movement off the pitch and through the air was merely average. Rabada’s precision and discipline were the true difference-makers.
Climbing the record books
Rabada’s five-wicket haul also pushed him further up South Africa’s all-time Test wicket-takers list. He now stands fourth with 332 wickets, surpassing the legendary Allan Donald. The only bowlers ahead of him are Makhaya Ntini (390), Shaun Pollock (421), and Dale Steyn (439)—all icons of South African cricket.“To be on that list is something special,” Rabada said. “As a kid, I looked up to those guys. I was inspired by what they achieved on the big stage, and I dreamed of doing the same.”
With one of the best strike rates in Test history (39.1 balls per wicket), Rabada is not only catching up to his heroes—he’s carving out a legacy of his own. His performance at Lord’s confirms what cricket fans have long known: Rabada is not just one of the best of his generation; he’s already a part of the game’s rich tapestry.
Legacy beyond the honours board
The Lord’s honours board may be symbolic, but the weight of Rabada’s achievement is more than just decorative. For a bowler from South Africa to be immortalized in both dressing rooms at the spiritual home of cricket is a powerful statement of excellence and consistency on foreign soil.
With the Test format constantly evolving and competition growing fiercer, performances like Rabada’s are a reminder of the timeless beauty of red-ball cricket. In a match where conditions were challenging but not extreme, it was skill—not circumstance—that rose to the surface.
As Rabada’s name is eventually inscribed in gold on the home dressing room board, future generations will read it alongside legends. And perhaps, somewhere in the away dressing room, a young fast bowler will glance up, see his name, and dream of earning a second place—just like Rabada did.
