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In a thrilling display of seam bowling mastery, Australia’s Test skipper Pat Cummins etched his name into the history books during the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 Final against South Africa. The right-arm pacer picked up his 14th five-wicket haul in red-ball cricket, dismantling the Proteas’ top and middle order to not only turn the match in Australia’s favour but also to reach a personal milestone — 300 Test wickets.
Pat Cummins achieves historic milestone
Needing six wickets to join the prestigious 300-wicket club at the start of the Test, Cummins wasted no time. On Day 2 of the WTC final, he scalped five out of South Africa’s six wickets that fell, ending with stunning figures of 6 for 28 in 18.1 overs. With that, he became just the 40th bowler in Test cricket to achieve the landmark and the eighth Australian to do so.
Notably, his 300th wicket came in just 13,725 deliveries, making him the fifth-fastest fast bowler in Test history to reach the feat based on balls bowled.
Cummins surpassed West Indian great Malcolm Marshall, who had previously held the fifth position on the list. The Australian pacer has also established himself as a strike-rate machine — his career strike-rate of 45.75 balls per wicket is now the best among all Australian pacers in the format.
Top five fastest pacers to reach 300 Test wickets by number of balls bowled:
| Balls Bowled | Bowler |
|---|---|
| 11,817 | Kagiso Rabada |
| 12,602 | Waqar Younis |
| 12,605 | Dale Steyn |
| 13,672 | Allan Donald |
| 13,725 | Pat Cummins |
Australia’s latest entrant to the 300 club
With this feat, Cummins becomes just the sixth Australian pacer to achieve 300 wickets in Tests, joining the likes of Glenn McGrath and Mitchell Johnson. More importantly, his consistency, adaptability across conditions, and ability to break partnerships at crucial moments continue to make him a cornerstone of Australia’s bowling attack.
As the WTC Final progresses, all eyes will remain on Cummins — not just as a captain steering his side, but as a bowler whose name is now firmly placed among the game’s greats.
Also WATCH: Pat Cummins’ stunning caught and bowled gets rid of Marco Jansen on Day 2 of WTC 2025 Final – SA vs AUS
