Over The Top

After what transpired between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh players on Friday, the ICC might end up having half the cricket world under scrutiny for indiscipline by the time the new week dawns. And Kagiso Rabada, whose fate is to be decided on Monday, may be the least blameworthy!

As we know, relations between South Africa and Australia have soured so dramatically in the ongoing Test series that the ICC had to step in and ask for a ‘ cooling down’ of tempers during the second match.

The advice obviously didn’t work well. Players from both teams got even more aggressive.

This led to Rabada being charged with a Level 2 offence, taking his demerit points to nine which in turn meant that he had to be suspended for two Tests.

Rabada has since contested the ban that comes up for re- examination on Monday. Meanwhile, a video clip of David Warner’s near hysterical send- off to AB de Villiers in the same match went viral.

In comparison, Rabada’s send- off for Steve Smith seemed tamer, which was the point being made by his team- mates. Save, of course, for the fact that the South African fast bowler had ‘ brushed’ past the Australian captain.

Even the mildest body contact, however, is anathema according to the ICC rules, which is what got Rabada the ban. But the rightfulness of the punishment has been widely questioned. Among those disagreeing are former England captain Michael Vaughan and — even if obliquely — former Australia captain Mark Taylor.

Will the ICC reconsider the ban on Rabada in light of the video clip on Warner, or the opinions expressed by several former cricketers? And how will cricket’s apex body treat the ugly scenes witnessed between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy?

In a tight match on Friday, with a great deal of personal, team and national pride attached, nerves were frayed and tempers between players from the two teams spun out of control. For a while, it appeared the match would be called off.

Thankfully it wasn’t, but the fracas showed up the