Rabada would be your 1st choice of current SA bowlers to get on the Lord’s honours board … & he duly completed his task
Kagiso Rabada would be your first choice of current South African bowlers to get up on the Lord’s honours board and he duly completed his five-wicket haul before the Proteas openers did their job on the second day of the first Test against England on Thursday.
Rabada bowled superbly in the first hour of the morning session, finishing with five for 52 in 19 overs as England were bowled out for just 165.
Captain Dean Elgar (12*) and Sarel Erwee (13*) then took South Africa through to 27 without loss at lunch.
England had resumed on a struggling 116 for six after the Proteas pacemen had dominated the 32 overs able to be played on the first day before rain washed out play. Ollie Pope was the key man for them on 61 not out, but the determined No.3 was the first batsman to fall on Thursday, in the fifth over of the day.
Erwee’s juggling attempt to catch Pope at first slip at the end of the first over of the day, bowled by Rabada, failed, but the batsman only added six more runs. Rabada kept plugging away with great control and skill just outside the off-stump, and Pope then inside-edged a big drive into his stumps to be bowled for 73.
A beautiful slower ball then accounted for Stuart Broad (15) and Rabada wrapped up his 12th five-wicket haul in his 73rd Test by trapping Jimmy Anderson lbw for a first-ball duck.
In between the dismissals of Broad and Anderson, Marco Jansen chipped in by bowling Jack Leach for 15.
Left-armer Jansen finished with two for 0 in eight overs and Anrich Nortje was also wonderful on the first day, finishing with three for 63 in 13 overs.
Some exquisite swing bowling by Anderson and Broad then created plenty of nervous moments for South Africa, and Elgar was dropped on seven by Zak Crawley at second slip off Matthew Potts, his angled-bat weakness outside off stump again coming to the fore.
But the opener survived the testing 12 overs before lunch.