Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been fined 15% of his match fee and hit with one demerit point after he was found guilty of breaching the ICC Players Conduct in the fifth ODI against India in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
As a result‚ Rabada now has five demerit points on his disciplinary record after he received three against Sri Lanka in a ODI match last year and one in the Lord’s Test against England also last year.
Rabada was subsequently suspended from the Trent Bridge Test against England after his accumulated demerit points reached four following the Lord’s breach.
If he reaches the next threshold of eight or more demerit points within a 24-month period‚ he will be suspended again.
Tuesday’s incident happened in the eighth over of India’s innings when Rabada‚ after dismissing Shikhar Dhawan‚ waved at the departing batsman and also made a comment which could have resulted in a reaction from the batsman.
As such‚ he was charged by the on-field umpires Ian Gould and Shaun George‚ third umpire Aleem Dar and fourth umpire Bongani Jele under article 2.1.7 which relates to “using language‚ actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”.
After the match‚ Rabada admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and as such there was no need for a formal hearing.
