Tragedy for the Proteas as hero Rabada receives series-ending ban

Kagiso Rabada has been suspended by the ICC for the rest of the series against Australia and admitted on Monday that he feels like he has let down both the Proteas team and himself.

A couple of hours after South Africa had levelled the series against Australia with a tremendous six-wicket win at St George’s Park, the International Cricket Council announced that Rabada had been given three demerit points for making “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact” after brushing shoulders with Australian captain Steven Smith after dismissing him in the first innings. That takes Rabada to eight demerit points within the last 24 months, meaning an automatic two-Test suspension.

Rabada has immediately gone to nine points after being given another demerit point for his send-off of David Warner in the second innings, while Mitchell Marsh received the same punishment after swearing at Rabada following his dismissal on Monday.

Cricket South Africa announced shortly after the ICC statement that they were taking legal advice on whether to appeal the suspension, which has to be done within 48 hours.

“It’s gonna have to stop because I’m letting the team and myself down. But I can’t change the way I express myself, I’m just going to have to do it far away from the batsman. So today has been bittersweet …” Rabada said after taking six for 54 and 11 for 150 in the match in a man-of-the-match performance.

“I would have loved to have played the next Test, especially coming off a performance like that. But the break gives me the chance to think about my game more and improve. We have some quality bowlers to come in and Morne Morkel is up and ready,” Rabada said on Monday.

The challenge for Rabada is to somehow stay in line with the vague, often impractical ICC rules while retaining the aggression that makes him such a wonderful, thrilling fast bowler. The 22-year-old certainly seems committed to finding that balance and returning with renewed vigour to lead the Proteas attack.

“I will see the ban as a big learning curve. I have repeated the same mistake in the eyes of the umpires and obviously I’m not happy about it. I don’t know what I’m thinking at the time, I just let it out. It’s a big series, there’s a lot to play for, a lot of pride and you don’t want to just roll over. There’s been a very competitive history between South Africa and Australia, playing for the number one spot.

“But all the time I’m looking to improve, especially with the rules having a lot of grey areas. We believe there’s no consistency. If I knew I had deliberately made contact with the batsman then we would not go on and contest the charge, but I did not even feel the contact I was so pumped up,” Rabada said.

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