Rabada’s sledging shenanigans
Experts weigh in on whether fiery Kagiso Rabada deserves his suspension
HE SHOULD be on top of the world with an 11-wicket haul, awarded Man of the Match and back at the top of international bowling rankings. But in the aftermath of the second Test against Australia, Kagiso Rabada’s cracking performance was largely forgotten. Instead everybody’s been talking about his fiery temper and a certain shouldering incident. The Aussies cried foul after a pumpedup KG bumped into skipper Steve Smith after taking his wicket in the thrilling Port Elizabeth encounter. The incident was caught on camera – and match authorities didn’t waste time slapping the 22-year-old fast-bowling sensation with a two-match ban. Rabada appealed, hoping to be allowed to play in the third Test at Newlands. By the time of going to print the outcome still wasn’t known – but whether KG will be able to control his temperament remains an issue. This is of course not the first time his antics have landed him in trouble (see box) but he really ramped things up in the PE match. Not only did he give Smith the shoulder, he also screamed in Australian opening batsman David Warner’s face after dismissing him.
Is he too much of a hothead – or is it just part and parcel of a game that has a long history of provocation and sledging your opponent? We take a look.
WAS IT REALLY SO BAD?
While some pundits say Rabada was out of line, others insist the incident was blown out of proportion.
“It was literally a brush,” Proteas bowling legend Fanie de Villiers says. “We also shouted and screamed. As a fast bowler you want to get under the skin of a batsman because that’s when he starts changing his game and that’s when you get your wickets. I find it surprising that people think Rabada is too aggressive. It’s nothing compared with what happened in the past.”
Former fast bowler Roger Telemachus agrees. “I think [the punishment] was a bit harsh,” he says. “You’re taking away a bit of aggression from fast bowling, a bit of feistiness.”
Proteas paceman Dale Steyn, who’s sidelined with a heel injury, says Rabada’s age needs to be taken into account.
“We all make stupid mistakes when we’re 22,” he said in an interview with the Cape Times newspaper. Maybe this needed to happen for him to learn a bit quicker. I did stupid things when I was younger too.”
But bowling legend Shaun Pollock says looking at Rabada’s history the ban was
warranted. “It’s the accumulation of points, it’s not an isolated event,” he told Australian website Wide World of Sports.
SA’s outings against the Australians have always been tough but this one has been particularly brutal.
In the first Test in Durban, Warner narrowly escaped a ban after he’d reportedly insulted SA’s Quinton de Kock’s surname on the field. The Protea wicket-keeper later retaliated by making a lewd comment outside the changing room about Warner’s wife, Candice.
Apparently the comment related to an infamous tryst in a public toilet between her and New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams in Sydney. In 2007 a photo showing the two in a compromising position made headlines around the world. It was taken by someone who’d reached under the toilet door with a cellphone.
De Kock’s taunt had his opponent seeing red. The ensuing altercation resulted in Warner receiving three demerit points and forfeiting 75% of his match fee while De Kock received one demerit for provocation.
Meanwhile in the second Test in PE, Aussie all-rounder Mitchell Marsh earned himself a demerit for hurling a string of obscenities at Rabada after losing his wicket.
HOW TO REIN IN RABADA
Rabada has conceded that his on-field conduct needs to change.
“It’s going to have to stop. I can’t keep doing this because I’m letting the team down and I’m letting myself down,” he said in a post-match interview.
But some experts say reining him in won’t be easy because he uses sledging to get himself fired up.
“It’s difficult for a coach when a player is as successful as Rabada,” freelance sports writer Luke Alfred says. “You don’t want to take the dog out of a fast bowler because if you do that, you have a puppy on your hands.”
Lunga Biyela, managing editor of SA Cricket magazine, says SA skipper Faf du Plessis should intervene when his star bowler risks overstepping the mark.
“He should call him aside and say, ‘ You’re doing great, just try to dial it down a little’.”
IS THE SYSTEM UNFAIR?
Rabada’s ban triggered a backlash from fans on Twitter. They argued double standards were at play, asking how Marsh could get away with one demerit for personal insults to a bowler while Rabada’s shouldering, which caused no harm, got three demerits.
Sports24 chief writer Rob Houwing says the Aussies are known for giving as good as they get, so he finds it ironic that Rabada is being punished for an incident that was “relatively trivial”.
He maintains heavy-handed action by officials risks robbing the game of its entertainment value.
“I think the ICC has got a bit too nit-picky about perceived breaches of behaviour. You’ve got to let young, exciting cricketers express themselves.”
There’s also talk that players on both sides try to provoke opponents who have demerits to push them closer to getting a ban
But Houwing believes officials have a duty to step in when sledging turns personal – in his view this is far worse than what Rabada did on the PE pitch.
“When it starts to involve family, fathers, mothers, wives, girlfriends, then it becomes a little less than savoury and there should be action.”
Houwing says some people even believe the ICC disciplinary structures have it in for SA.
“Maybe it’s not even the fault of the players – maybe some sort of conflict at an administrative level, personality clashes at boardroom level.
“Even a few ex-Australian players have come out pretty sympathetically towards the Proteas,” he says.
He believes the “big three” – England, India and Australia – carry a lot of clout.
“We’ve seen a lot of cases of double standards,” he says.
But Biyela disagrees, saying it’s Rabada’s record that counts against him.
“I’m pretty sure the ICC would act the same way against a player from the ‘ big three’ should they have a similar record.”