Kagiso Rabada’s all-round blitz rewrites history, smashes 119-year record in stunning counter-attack vs Pakistan

Kagiso Rabada smacked 71 off just 61 deliveries to flip the script in Rawalpindi and give South Africa the lead.

Kagiso Rabada’s counter-punching rearguard effort saw him score a blazing 71 off 61 after coming in at number 11 during South Africa’s second Test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The fast bowler struck four fours and four sixes in his terrific knock, stitching together a 98-run partnership for the last wicket alongside Senuran Muthusamy – not only erasing the deficit, but also taking the team to 404 and establishing a 71-run first innings lead.

Kagiso Rabada enroute to his 71 against Pakistan.(AFP)

Rabada came to the crease when South Africa were still trailing by 30 runs, but his counter-attack against Pakistan’s spinners ensured that he put the Proteas in a strong position. While his dismissal left Muthusamy stranded on a career-best 89*, the fast bowler still managed to turn the momentum of the match. His innings also shattered a few significant records.

Rabada’s 71 coming at number 11 marks this as the fifth-highest innings by a batter at this position in the history of Test cricket, behind only Ashton Agar’s famous 98, as well as scores by Tino Best, James Anderson, and Zaheer Khan.

Highest scores by a number 11 batter in Test history

Ashton Agar – 98 vs ENG

Tino Best – 95 vs ENG

James Anderson – 81 vs IND

Zaheer Khan – 75 vs BAN

KAGISO RABADA – 71 vs PAK

It is an innings that therefore snaps the previous record of the most runs by a South African player batting at number 11, which stood for a whopping 119 years. He breaks a record set by turn-of-the-20th-century player Bert Vogler, who scored 62* for the Proteas in a match against England in Cape Town, all the way back in 1906.

Second-fastest Test 50 by a number 11

Rabada’s innings also stands as the second-quickest half-century by a number 11 batter in Test cricket, off just 38 deliveries. The record is held by West Indian Shane Shillingford, who scored a remarkable 25-ball half-century against New Zealand in 2014.

This was Rabada’s highest score in his Test career, and continues a strong trend of important batting innings against Pakistan: his 31*(26) in a 51-run ninth wicket partnership with Marco Jansen at Centurion in December 2024 helped seal the Proteas’ spot in the World Test Championship final.

Soon after his whirlwind knock, Rabada would join forces with off-spinner Simon Harper to spark three quick Pakistan wickets, leaving the hosts struggling on 16/3 early in the third innings. The Proteas now in a strong position to level the series.