[WATCH] Rabada bowls 154 kmph ripper to Travis Head on Test return

Kagiso Rabada made an immediate impact on his return from a hamstring injury during the 2nd Test between South Africa and Australia at St George's Park, Gqeberha.

The right-arm fast bowler produced a delivery clocked at 154.5 kmph to left-handed batter Travis Head, drawing widespread attention on Day 4 of the contest.

A video clip shared by the official broadcaster, FanCode, on X (formerly Twitter), captured the moment. The ball arrived full outside the off stump, generating serious pace and movement as it passed Head, who chose to leave it alone, allowing the delivery to pass without playing a shot.

Rabada's dream return from injury

Rabada had been sidelined with a hamstring injury before this match. His inclusion in the South Africa XI came at the expense of Keshav Maharaj, who was squeezed out as the hosts looked to level the series.

Rabada had already made his presence felt before that delivery to Head. He struck in the first over of Australia's innings, removing Nic Maddinson to give South Africa an early breakthrough. Maddinson was caught at third slip off Rabada's fourth delivery of the match. Simon Harmer held onto the catch to have the Aussies reeling at the end of Day 3.

Australia's collapse and match situation

South Africa had set Australia a substantial target after declaring their first innings at 425/9. Captain Temba Bavuma top-scored with a career-best 179, while Marco Jansen contributed 85 and Simon Harmer added 82 to give the hosts a commanding position.

By the lunch interval on Day 4, Australia were in serious difficulty at 69/6 in 33 overs while chasing 425. The visitors had also made a notable selection call for this match, leaving Nathan Lyon out of the Test side. It was the first time since 2013 that Lyon had not featured in a red-ball Test when available. Australia's spin options were limited to part-timers Matt Renshaw, Travis Head, Beau Webster and Marnus Labuschagne.

The 2nd Test at St George's Park was scheduled from October 18 to 22, 2026, and forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2026-27 season. Australia had won the toss and elected to field first at the start of the match. With Australia still needing more than 350 runs and four wickets in hand at lunch, South Africa were firmly in control heading into the afternoon session.