Quick Facts
Gemini
Biography
Kagiso Rabada (born 25 May 1995) is a South African international cricketer. Rabada, who is known by the nickname KG, is a fast bowler and plays domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions. He made his South African debut in November 2014 in limited-overs cricket before going on to make his Test debut in November 2015. Rabada attended St Stithians Boys College, leaving the school in 2013. In July 2016, Rabada became the first cricketer to win six awards at Cricket South Africa's annual dinner, including the prize for Cricketer of the Year.
Domestic career
He made his debut for the Gauteng in the CSA Provincial One-Day Competition against Border in December 2013.
He was chosen to represent South Africa's Under-19 side for the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. As South Africa won the tournament, he was their best bowler claiming the 2nd most wickets (14) in the tournament at an economy rate of 3.10. He also claimed the best figures of the tournament: 6/25 against Australia A. This led to him being dubbed "the fastest and most feared bowler in the competition".
His performances in the Under-19 World Cup saw him catapulted into the Lions franchise side for their last two games of the Sunfoil Series season. He took 7 wickets for 186 in these two matches.
In February 2015, Rabada took a record 14 wickets in a match for Lions against Dolphins, including 9 for 33 in the second innings his 14 for 105 are the best figures in the franchise era of South African cricket.
In February 2016, it was announced that Rabada had signed a short-term deal to play county cricket for Kent County Cricket Club in June and July of the English domestic season, passing up the opportunity of an IPL contract to gain experience in English conditions. He played in two County Championship and six T20 matches for the county during his spell in England.
International career
He made his Twenty20 International debut for South Africa against Australia on 5 November 2014.
He made his One Day International debut for South Africa against Bangladesh on 10 July 2015, achieving best figures of 6/16 on debut. He also became only the second player, after Taijul Islam, to take a hat-trick on debut in an ODI match. He made his Test debut for South Africa against India on 5 November 2015. In the fourth Test of England's 2015–16 tour of South Africa, he finished with figures of 13/144 helping his team win the game. In the process, he became the youngest South African to take a ten-wicket haul in a Test, and the figures were his team's second best ever, after Makhaya Ntini's 13/132.
International record
Test ten-wicket hauls
| Kagiso Rabada's Test ten-wicket hauls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Figures | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | Result |
| 1 | 13/144 | 6 |  England |  Centurion, South Africa | SuperSport Park | 2016 | Won |
| 2 | 10/92 | 13 |  Sri Lanka | Cape Town, South Africa | Newlands Cricket Ground | 2017 | Won |
Test five-wicket hauls
| Kagiso Rabada's Test five-wicket hauls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Figures | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | Result |
| 1 | 5/78 | 5 | England | Johannesburg, South Africa | The Wanderers Stadium | 2016 | Lost |
| 2 | 7/112 | 6 | England | Centurion, South Africa | SuperSport Park | 2016 | Won |
| 3 | 6/32 | ||||||
| 4 | 5/92 | 9 |  Australia | Perth, Australia | WACA Ground | 2016 | Won |
| 5 | 6/55 | 13 | Sri Lanka | Cape Town, South Africa | Newlands Cricket Ground | 2017 | Won |
One Day International five-wicket hauls
| Kagiso Rabada's One Day International five-wicket hauls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | Result |
| 1 | 6/16 | 1 |  Bangladesh | Dhaka, Bangladesh | Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium | 2015 | Won |
International awards
Test Cricket
Man of the Match awards
| S No | Series | Season | Match Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4th Test - Basil D'Oliveira Trophy Test Series | 2015/16 | 1st Innings: 0 (1 ball) ; 29-6-112-7 2nd Innings: DNB ; 10.4-2-32-6 | South Africa won by 280 runs. |
| 2 | 1st Test - South Africa in Australia Test Series | 2016/17 | 1st Innings: 11 (12 balls) ; 20-1-78-2 2nd Innings: DNB ; 31-6-92-5 | South Africa won by 177 runs. |
| 3 | 2nd Test - Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series | 2016/17 | 1st Innings: 23 (19 balls) ; 12-2-37-4 2nd Innings: DNB ; 17-3-55-6 | South Africa won by 282 runs. |
One-Day International cricket
Man of the Match awards
| S No | Opponent | Venue | Date | Match Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka | 10 July 2015 | 8-3-16-6 ; DNB | South Africa won by 8 wickets. |
Personal
His father is a doctor and his mother Florence is a lawyer. He is the older of two brothers.