Rampaging Rabada channels ... Warne?

With a succession of vicious bumpers balanced astutely with some wicked outswingers, South Africa pace prodigy Kagiso Rabada channelled the likes of West Indian greats Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh during a devastating spell against Australia on the fourth and final morning of the second Test in Hobart.

Rabada, who was man of the match in Perth but was only required to bowl six overs as first change in the first innings in Tasmania, again produced a performance well beyond his 21 years to scythe through Australia's middle order.

But far from the great West Indians or even compatriots such as Donald, Ntini, Pollock or Steyn, the right-arm quick opted for an Australian when asked who he tried to emulate at the bowling crease.

And a leg-spinner at that.

"I loved to watch Shane Warne. I just loved the way he controlled the ball, spun the ball and (the way) he talks about his tactics is really cool," Rabada told Optus Sport's Stumps show.

"He bowled some magic balls as well, nice control."

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And while Warne was the undisputed king of bluff and bluster – beating batsmen between the ears as much as off the pitch or through the air – Rabada is quickly developing his own on-field presence, though to date more of the strong, silent type.

The leading wicket-taker in the series with 12 from two Tests, the Johannesburg-born quick has lived up to the considerable hype that accompanied his arrival in Australia.

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A compact example of his quality could be seen in the closing stages of the Hobart Test, when he bowled intelligently at first to Peter Nevill, then Joe Mennie and finally Steve Smith, claiming all their wickets in the space of seven deliveries.

Pitching on a length and then full to Nevill, he then hurried the 'keeper-batsman with a brutal, perfectly directed throat ball, connecting with the batsman's gloves and watching gleefully as the ball ballooned away to the cordon.

Two balls later, he struck the bottom of Mennie's front pad on the full, plumb in front.

But the real test was the skipper, Smith, who for the two hours Australia spent in the middle on day four, had offered comfortably the most resistance.

Rabada began his next over with another brutal short ball that hammered into Smith's glove.

Another short ball, slightly misdirected towards leg, followed, which Smith swayed away from.

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The next delivery was fuller, just outside off stump, setting the scene for what was to follow.

And then came the wicket ball, perfectly directed toward the off peg but swinging away just enough to kiss the batsman's outside edge on the way through to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps.

Name any of the fast-bowling legends in the storied history of Test cricket and they would have been proud of both the dismissal and the spell.

For his part, Rabada says plenty of those legends have worked their way into his own, unique action.

"I liked a whole lot of (fast bowlers) and I tried to incorporate what I like in each bowler into (my technique) but still be me," he said.

"I didn't try to be like anyone, I just grew into my own action.

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"It's definitely nice to watch guys who've got smooth actions, you see what they do and you try to almost emulate it by feeling."

Rabada gets his chance with a pink ball next week for the first time in Test cricket, with the youngster's career taking off at the same time as a revolution in the sport.

It's a career just 10 Test matches old, and one he knows is still very much in its infancy.

"There's always room for improvement," he said. "Yes, I've come a long way but there's still a lot more to do to become a complete bowler."

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