The director of cricket for Cricket South Africa (CSA) Graeme Smith said their frontline pacer Kagiso Rabada is the poster boy of the team after the cricketer was found guilty of breaching an ICC Code of Conduct and handed a suspension for one match.
“He is a poster boy and we need to develop more poster boys. Too much has been put on his shoulders as well. He is on every ad, playing every game, he is carrying the (team as he) can. If he doesn’t perform well, we are in trouble,” Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Rabada was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during the first day of the third Test against England at the St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Thursday last week. As a result, he has been disallowed to play in the fourth Test.
He was also found to have violated Article 2.5 of ICC’s Code of Conduct which stands 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”. He has been fined 15 percent of the match fee as well.
The 24-year-old South African quick received one demerit point for his behaviour towards Joe Root, whose wicket Rabada was celebrating. After clean-bowling the England captain, on the first day of the third Test, Rabada celebrated expressively within millimeters from the batsman.
(With inputs from agencies)