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Rabada scoops Wisden's Golden Boy award

Cape Town - Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been named Wisden's Golden Boy of 2018, an award for the best male cricketer in the world aged 23 or under.

READ: Rabada, Ngidi move up in latest ODI rankings

Since his debut in 2015, the 23-year-old has taken 151 wickets in 32 Tests.

Rabada, who is currently second in the Test rankings behind England seamer James Anderson, surpassed India's Harbhajan Singh as the youngest to 150 Test scalps.

"We all knew in South Africa that Kagiso Rabada was destined for big things. I knew it was going to come, but I didn’t know it was going to come this quickly," former South African bowler Allan Donald told Wisden Cricket Monthly, as quoted by the ICC website.

"When Dale Steyn first broke through his consistency and the rate he was taking wickets at was quite frightening and the same is now happening with Kagiso. He's just incredible, a machine really, and fantastic to watch.

"Kagiso is well on his way to becoming South Africa's all-time greatest fast bowler. Going at the rate he is it's a case of when rather than if he becomes our country's leading Test wicket-taker and it will be a proud moment for me seeing this young man do that, a magnificent achievement for him and an inspiration for all young black cricketers in South Africa," said Donald.

Rabada is one of three South Africans to feature in the top 10 of the list, with Aiden Markram appearing at No 3 and Lungi Ngidi at No 9.

Wisden's Top 10 U23:

1. Kagiso Rabada - South Africa

2. Rashid Khan - Afghanistan 

3. Aiden Markram - South Africa

4. Babar Azam - Pakistan

5. Kuldeep Yadav - India

6. Rishabh Pant - India 

7. Kusal Mendis - Sri Lanka

8. Matt Renshaw - Australia 

9. Lungi Ngidi - South Africa

10. Shadab Khan - Pakistan 

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