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How Kagiso Rabada Silenced Drug Ban Noise With Seam, Steel And A Scorching WTC Final Performance

Jatin

Kagiso Rabada picked 9 wickets in WTC final [Source: @rishabh18v/x.com]Kagiso Rabada picked 9 wickets in WTC final [Source: @rishabh18v/x.com]

They said he was down, they said he was done. But Kagiso Rabada walked into the WTC Final at Lord’s with fire in his belly, a point to prove and a bag full of unplayable seeds.

The South African quick had just come off a one-month drug suspension, a storm of whispers, headlines and judgments but Rabada chose not to dwell in the past. Instead, he let the red cherry do the talking and wrote a comeback script that could give even the Rocky franchise a run for its money.

Rock Bottom In April, Rocking Lord’s In June

In January, Rabada reportedly used cocaine during the SA20 league. The drug wasn’t performance-enhancing but it was banned. He tested positive and CSA slapped a provisional suspension in April.

Now, Rabada could have taken the easy route by keeping quiet, appealing and blaming circumstances. But no, he owned it. Took accountability. Enrolled in a two-session rehab program. Because of that, his ban was reduced from three months to one.

If he hadn’t agreed to the program, Rabada would have been sitting out this final, serving a three-month ban. But he did the work. Two sessions, one suspension served and he was back. Not just back but breathing fire at the Home of Cricket.

First Innings? Absolute fire

The first ball he bowled in the WTC Final? Unplayable. Jagged away from Usman Khawaja. Rabada was relentless, pushing batters onto the backfoot with pace, bounce and venomous seam movement.

By the time he was done, he had ripped through Australia’s top and lower order finishing with 5/51 in the first innings. 

Each wicket was a dagger through the Aussie batting card. Khawaja? Gone for a duck. Green? Gone in a flash. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Beau Webster? All eaten alive by the Rabada express.

And this wasn’t just about the numbers. It was about how he bowled: ripping deliveries, brutal angles and zip off the pitch.

Second Innings, Same Old KG

If anyone thought the first burst was a fluke, Rabada brought out the receipts in the second innings too. He removed Khawaja again. He got Green again. He cleaned up Alex Carey and Nathan Lyon. 4 more wickets, taking his match tally to 9/110.

9 wickets in a World Test Championship Final, weeks after a suspension that could have derailed lesser men. Rabada didn’t just silence the critics, he gagged them.

Big Match Player, Bigger Comeback Story

This wasn’t just Rabada bowling well. This was Rabada making a statement. That cricket is still his first love. That one mistake won’t define him. That he is still the alpha of this South African pace pack.

While Lungi Ngidi leaked runs and the rest of the attack wobbled, Rabada was the lone wolf hunting scalps with absolute precision. And his spell might just be the reason South Africa stays alive in this WTC final.

If cricket is a game of redemption, Kagiso Rabada just nailed a comeback for the ages.

As they say, form is temporary, but class? That stuff is permanent.

And Kagiso Rabada, in the WTC 2025 final at Lord’s, reminded the world exactly who he is!