London, June 12 (IANS) Former South Africa fast bowling great Dale Steyn lavished praise on Proteas’ pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada for his scintillating bowling show on the opening day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord’s, saying once the right-armer gets an opportunity, he bags the wicket.

Rabada claimed the wickets of opener Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in his opening burst and then got rid of Aussie skipper Pat Cummins, Beau Webster, and Mitchell Starc to claim his 17th five-wicket haul in Tests.

The 30-year-old’s fifer put him on 332 Test wickets, which took him past Allan Donald and into fourth place on South Africa’s all-time list. Only Steyn, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini remain ahead of him.

“He got the ball to swing well. It started with Alex Carey playing a poor first-ball shot to Keshav Maharaj – he didn’t need to play that. There was a sweeper out too. His dismissal opened up an end, and then Rabada came in and did what he does best – picked up wickets. Jansen also found swing and attacked the stumps, much like Australia did later,” said Steyn on Jio Hotstar.

Rabada’s spell helped South Africa bundle the defending champions out for 212. “Australia actually took a leaf out of South Africa’s book. Rabada, once he senses an opportunity, goes for the kill. He’s just a fantastic bowler. When he retires, we’ll truly be able to talk about his greatness, but on Day 1, he was outstanding,” the former South African pacer added.

However, Australia bounced back in South Africa’s first innings as Aussie pacers also made early inroads towards the end of Day 1 on Wednesday. Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins all struck with the ball as the Proteas closed the day at 43/4.

Steyn further reflected on Starc’s impact with the ball, saying, “He’s really quick through the air, and I certainly think he rushes a lot of batsmen. When you’re a bit nervous and your feet aren’t moving the way you want – just like Aiden Markram – he was caught in the crease, unsure whether to go forward or not. Starc had already gone past the bat a few times, maybe even beaten him on the inside edge once or twice.

“Then Rickelton decided he could hit it through the covers, and, the best Test bowlers in the world have this ability to pull their length back just slightly. A batter thinks he’s got it covered, but then it kicks up, moves just a little more, finds the edge. That’s what Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood have done so well over the years.

“But it’s also about big-match temperament. He’s done it before, he believes he can do it again – and when he does, it becomes a habit. He also builds a reputation. He gets the backing of his captain. We know how he’s going to do it, and if you look at his wickets, they’re all very similar.”

–IANS

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