Updated: March 10, 2018 2:39 pm
Kagiso Rabada has been charged for bumping with Steve Smith after dismissing the latter. (Source: Reuters)
Kagiso Rabada has been charged by match officials for bumping into Australia captain Steve Smith after getting him out on the opening day of the second Test match between South Africa and Australia. According to reports, he has been charged by the ICC for unnecessary physical contact and could be banned for the rest of the series.
South Africa team spokeswoman Lerato Malekutu said that the pacer will contest the charge on the basis that the contact with Smith was unintentional. Rabada will have a hearing later on Saturday following the ongoing second day’s play.
Rabada bumped into Smith with his shoulder during his follow-through after dismissing the Australian skipper lbw on Friday in Port Elizabeth.
Rabada already has five demerit points on his disciplinary record. A player faces a two-Test ban when he collects eight demerit points. Rabada has been charged with a Level two offence that normally carries three to four demerit points, meaning South Africa could be without its main strike bowler for the remaining two tests.
Rabada has had run-ins with the demerit points system earlier. In 2017, he was given three demerit points and served a one match ban for physical contact with Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella. He is also the fourth player to with a disciplinary charge in what has thus far been an ill-tempered series between Australia and South Africa. Australian spinner Nathan Lyon was fined for dropping the ball on AB de Villiers after running him out. David Warner and Quinton De Kock also were fined and given demerit points for their animated argument that was caight on CCTV.
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