South Africa on Friday won the first Test of the three-match Test series between England and South Africa by an innings and 12 runs at Lord’s. With this, the visitors take on a 1-0 lead in the series. England was on the receiving end of heavy criticism for having lost early wickets and in quick succession. South African bowlers raged fire on the 22 yards as English batters struggled to set in.
Proteas bowlers nullified the threat of England’s new attacking batting technique the ‘Bazball‘. South Africa forged a 161-run first innings lead before dismissing the hosts in only 37.4 overs in the second innings.
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Rabada achieves a remarkable feat
Kagiso Rabada‘s seven wickets in the Test saw him named man of the match. This included a 5-wicket haul in the first innings. Moreover, Rabada playing his 53rd Test dismissed Ben Stokes who was settled in scoring 20 of 28 balls. With Stokes’s dismissal Kagiso Rabada became the fifth fastest pace bowler to take 250 Test wickets as he took 53 Tests to achieve this feat.Â
Topping this List is Australia’s Dennis Lillee achieving 250 wickets in 48 Tests. Followed by another South African Pace King, Dale Steyn who did it in 49 Tests, then followed by Waqar Younis of Pakistan who did it in 50 Tests. The fourth on this list is New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee who took 51 Tests to achieve this feat.
Interestingly, this was the first defeat for Ben Stokes as England’s full-time Test captain. And also for head coach Brendon McCullum, who took over at the start of the summer. England had headed into the series, flaunting their ‘Bazball’ approach, after having won 4 Tests on the trot but they were comfortably outplayed by a spirited South African team.
