South Africa Pacer Kagiso Rabada Surprised By One-Match Ban

South Africa spearhead Kagiso Rabada will miss the fourth and final Test against England after being handed a 15% fine and a demerit point for giving an infamous sendoff to England Test captain Joe Root during the third Test match in Port Elizabeth. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it in a media release recently. Rabada was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

The paceman was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his or her dismissal during an international match”.

On the opening day of the third Test on Thursday, Kagiso Rabada celebrated in an animated manner after dismissing England captain. Since it was Kagiso Rabada’s fourth demerit points in a two-year period, he will miss South Africa’s next Test match.

According to the rules, four or more demerit points are converted into suspension points and thus leading to a player getting banned for a specific period of time.

It has been learnt that two of his three previous demerit points came in the bad-tempered 2018 Test series against Australia, which culminated in the Australia ball-tampering saga. The third one resulted from his celebration on removing India’s Shikhar Dhawan earlier the same year.

This is also the second time that Kagiso Rabada has been banned for demerit points. Previously, he was banned during South Africa’s tour of England in 2017, when he missed the second Test at Trent Bridge.

Surprised by the one-match ban: Kagiso Rabada

Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada added that he was surprised to be sanctioned for his celebration of Joe Root’s dismissal in the third test match against England but knew he could not keep letting his teammates, and himself, down.

Rabada’s absence is a big blow to South Africa’s hopes of equalling the series after a huge defeat in the third Test at Port Elizabeth on Monday which left them trailing 2-1. After bowling out Joe Root, Rabada ran down the pitch and performed a strange celebration in front of the England captain.

“It was something I didn’t expect. Whether it was the right thing to ban me or the wrong thing, the reality is that I’m banned. It cannot keep happening because I’m letting the team down and I’m letting myself down. That’s why it hurts so much but it gives me a chance to work on my game and a chance to have a bit of a rest,” Rabada added.

Read More: Brett Lee Criticises ICC’s Decision To Ban Kagiso Rabada