The Proteas fast bowler took six wickets in South Africa’s innings-and-31-run victory over Australia in Gqeberha, striking once every 35 deliveries across the two innings.

Rabada finished with figures of 2-33 and 4-77, taking his career tally to 346 Test wickets.

His career bowling strike rate of 39.44 balls per wicket remains unmatched by any bowler with 300 or more Test wickets

Former Proteas great Dale Steyn claimed 439 wickets at a strike rate of 42.3, while Pakistan’s Waqar Younis took 373 at 43.4.

West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall finished with 376 wickets at 46.7, while Allan Donald claimed 330 at 47.0.

Strike rate measures how frequently a bowler takes wickets, while bowling average reflects the number of runs conceded per dismissal. Both are important when assessing the game’s greatest fast bowlers.

Rabada’s career bowling average of 21.97 is equally impressive, comparing favourably with Steyn’s 22.95, Waqar’s 23.56 and Donald’s 22.25.

Marshall, widely regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers in history, finished with an average of 20.94.

Rabada also holds the record for reaching 300 Test wickets in the fewest deliveries, achieving the milestone in just 11,817 balls against Bangladesh in October 2024.

His six-wicket contribution in Gqeberha helped South Africa level the three-match series at 1-1, setting up a decider in Cape Town.

While comparisons across generations are never straightforward, Rabada’s combination of wicket-taking frequency, bowling average and longevity places him firmly among Test cricket’s greatest fast bowlers.

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