Rabada turns hero to villain as Proteas triumph to level things with Australia
▶ Two-match ban for deliberate contact means bowler will miss rest of the series
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took 11 wickets in the match but turned from hero to villain as South Africa beat Australia by six wickets in the second Test yesterday to level the fourmatch series.
The Proteas made heavy work of reaching their modest target before captain Faf du Plessis (2) and Theunis de Bruyn (11) guided them to 102-4.
The victory, however, was marred by a two-match ban for Rabada that rules him out of the remainder of the fourmatch series.
He was found guilty of a level two International Cricket Council code of conduct offence of “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player” after leaning with his shoulder into Australia captain Steve Smith when he dismissed him in the first innings.
Rabada, who has 15 wickets at an average of 16.80 in the series, had denied the charge but admitted that he would have to change how he celebrates.
He was fined 50 per cent of his match fee and issued three demerit points after a disciplinary hearing following his denial of the charge.
That took his total of points after three previous offences to eight and triggered an automatic two-Test ban. “It’s going to have to stop,” he said. “I’m letting the team down and letting myself down.”
He was speaking after being adjudged man of the match performance and before the verdict was announced.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) immediately announced they had 48 hours to appeal the decision and were seeking legal opinion. CSA said Rabada would remain suspended unless a judicial commissioner was appointed early and allowed him to play pending a final decision.
Rabada accepted a second charge after a send-off of David Warner in the second innings and received a further fine of 15 per cent of his match fee and an additional demerit point. Match referee Jeff Crowe said: “I found that there was contact between Rabada and Smith, and in my judgement the contact by Rabada was inappropriate, and deliberate. He had the opportunity to avoid the contact, and I could not see any evidence to support the argument that the contact was accidental.
“It is also disappointing that this has happened the day after the pre-match meeting I had with both teams, where the importance of respect for opponents was highlighted.”
Rabada said he would need to avoid getting into close proximity with opponents. “I won’t change the way I express myself but I will get far away from the batter,” he said.
Rabada, 22, was the outstanding performer for as he ripped through Australia, who started on 180-5 with a 41-run lead.
He completed figures of 6-54 and a match aggregate of 11150, the fourth time he has taken 10 or more wickets in a Test match.
“Australia were never going to give in easily so you had to go to the reserve tank and give your best,” Rabada said.
The tourists lost Mitchell Marsh (45) in the first over as Rabada bowled him before Pat Cummins (5) was well caught in the gully by De Bruyn.
Rabada got his third in quick succession as Mitchell Starc (1) edged a drive to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Lungi Ngidi (2-24) had Nathan Lyon (5) caught by De Kock, before Tim Paine (28 not out) and Josh Hazlewood (17) added 28 for the final wicket as Australia were dismissed for 239.
South Africa lost wickets regularly with opener Dean Elgar (5) going cheaply to be followed after lunch by Aiden Markram (21), Hashim Amla (27) and AB de Villiers (28).
“We were outplayed in all aspects,” Smith said of his Australia side.
Australia won the first Test in Durban by 118 runs last week. The final two matches in the series are in Cape Town and Johannesburg.