Fastest bowlers to complete 300 Test wickets (balls taken)
South African pacer merchant Kagiso Rabada scripted history by becoming the fastest bowler to reach 300 Test wickets in terms of balls taken. He accomplished this milestone with his first wicket in the Test series opener against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Here we look at the fastest bowlers to accomplish 300 Test scalps (balls taken).
Kagiso Rabada - 11,817 balls
As per Cricbuzz, Rabada is now the fastest bowler to reach 300 Test scalps in terms of balls taken (11,817). Playing his 65th match, Rabada has raced to 302 wickets at an average of 21.95, as per ESPNcricinfo. He has 14 fifers and four match 10-fers to show. He overall became the sixth South African bowler to complete 300 wickets in the Test format.
Waqar Younis - 12,602 balls
Rabada broke the record of Pakistan legend Waqar Younis, who took 12,602 balls. It must be noted that Younis played most of his Test matches on Asian track, which are mostly known to favor spinners. Younis overall finished his celebrated career with 373 wickets across 87 Tests at 23.56. The tally includes 22 fifers and five 10-wicket match hauls.
Dale Steyn - 12,605 balls
Rabada's former teammate Dale Steyn is third on this list as he took 12,605 deliveries to touch the 300-wicket mark in the Test format. One of the finest fast bowlers ever, Steyn finished with 439 scalps in 93 Tests at 22.95 (5W: 26, 10WM: 5). Steyn is the only fast bowler in Test history to have taken five-wicket hauls against nine Test-playing nations.
Allan Donald - 13,672 balls
In Allan Donald, we have another Proteas legend on this list. Popularly known as the 'White Lightning', Donald needed 13,672 balls to complete 300 wickets in Test cricket. The former pacer hung up his boots with 330 wickets from 72 matches at an exceptional average of 22.25. The tally also includes 20 fifers (10WM: 3).
