Johannesburg [South Africa], June 17 : South Africa's superstar Kagiso Rabada hailed his side's ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 victory over Australia as a moment he will never forget, as per a media release from ICC.
Rabada took nine wickets in the match at Lord's, rising to the occasion and thriving on his status as the leader of a talented pace attack, as per a media release from ICC.
He moved past Allan Donald into fourth on South Africa's all-time list of Test wicket-takers, while he retains the highest strike rate (38.9) of any bowler with more than 150 scalps to his name.
But while his individual display was one to savour, this was a team triumph for the Proteas and Rabada was quick to share the credit among his fellow history-makers.
"I don't see myself as a star," he said, as quoted from a media release from ICC.
"I see myself as someone willing to work, give my blood for this team and continue working hard and improving," Rabada noted.
"That's me as a cricketer, always wanting to improve and playing for the badge with a lot of pride. That's the way I'd like to see everyone play," he added.
"Every game I play, I'm looking to get wickets. I'm not going to go into the game thinking 'I need to get seven wickets for us to win', I look at it as an opportunity to get as many wickets as I can to help the team," he emphasized.
"In saying that, I know I won't do it alone and I back all the players in the team. You are playing for South Africa for a reason, it's not by chance," he said.
"We are a fairly inexperienced team who got put together about a year ago, we have not been with each other for a long time, and we have gone on and produced this. I'll never forget this in my life, none of the boys will forget this," Rabada noted.
Rabada set the tone on the opening morning of the Final, removing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over - later repeating the trick in the second innings.
His first innings figures of 5/51 saw him become just the second player in history to have his name on the honours boards in both the home and away dressing rooms at Lord's, following batter Gordon Greenidge, and he followed up with four more second time around.
"I've been working extremely hard, those second innings spells are the ones that count a lot more - when you are a bit tired and behind in the game," he said.
"It was just about staying calm and looking at what was in front of us. All mayhem broke loose, we got five wickets in I don't know how many overs, it was a crazy game of cricket," he added.
"There are normally two voices in your head - one that doubts and one that believes," he noted.
"That is the one we keep feeding, especially in big moments like this, the World Test Championship Final," the South African said.
"That is why you saw the performances you saw. It is testament to our team this season," he added.
Rabada's performance continued his excellent record versus Australia, against whom he now has 58 Test wickets at 21.39.
This contest will go down as the latest chapter in a storied history of classic encounters between these two heavyweight cricketing nations and South Africa's standout seamer admitted it was a surreal feeling to wrestle the trophy away from the holders.
"Australia are a well accustomed team and with all due respect, a bit of an aging team," Rabada said.
"Some of those guys were playing when we were still in high school," he added.
"If you put into perspective for the younger players what that's like. It is special, it hasn't sunk in," he noted.
"This has given us confidence we can do it again," he said.