Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised Kagiso Rabada’s performance, particularly his five-wicket haul at Lord’s during the first day of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. This accomplishment secured Rabada a place on the Lord’s Honours Board and saw him surpass the legendary Allan Donald’s Test wicket total for South Africa.
Ponting was impressed with Rabada’s performance, noting the similarity to his previous performance at the venue during South Africa’s Test against England in 2022. He compared Rabada’s recent exploits to those of his former teammate Glenn McGrath, who also achieved considerable success at the historic ground. “Glenn McGrath was also exactly the same at Lord’s,” Ponting stated.
Ponting highlighted McGrath’s love for bowling at Lord’s and his ability to utilize the slope from both ends of the ground, a factor often overlooked. He emphasized the significance of star players performing well in important matches. Rabada has taken 18 wickets at Lord’s in three matches with an average of 16.83, and has two five-wicket hauls, the most by a South African bowler. McGrath, in comparison, took 26 wickets in three matches with an average of 11.50, and his best figures were 8/38.
Ponting also acknowledged Rabada’s recent off-field challenges and expressed his belief that Rabada would be eager to lead his team and perform to his best ability. Furthermore, Ponting advised the Australian batsmen to capitalize on the anticipated favorable batting conditions in their second innings.