South African pacer Kagiso Rabada was handed a demerit point for his celebration after England skipper Joe Root’s dismissal in the recently concluded third Test between the two sides in Port Elizabeth.
Rabada clean bowled Root in the 65th over of England’s first innings and instantly erupted into a passionate celebration before being joined by his teammates. Rabada was charged by the match referee after being found guilty of violating Article 2.5 of the ICC code of conduct.
Rabada has accumulated four demerit points in the last 24 months, which led to his ban from the fourth and final Test of the series.
Three Tests down, questions over Faf du Plessis’ position in the Proteas side are also being raised because the hosts find themselves 1-2 down.
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Rabada, meanwhile, acknowledged he’s let the team down but is confident the side will bounce back to level the series. “It’s something that I didn’t expect,” he said after the conclusion of third Test.
“Whether it was the right thing to ban me or not, the reality is that I am banned. But I have belief in anyone who is going to come into my spot; I have belief that they will have the potential to knock anyone over. That’s why we’re all picked for SA. It’s a special thing to be picked for the Proteas. I think obviously it hurts, but I guess it gives me a chance to work on my game and a chance to get a bit of a rest. It can’t keep happening. I am letting the team down, and I am letting myself down. That’s why it hurts so much.
“(The mood is) not great. We know we haven’t played well. It really does hurt us. Everyone in the change room, I am 100 percent sure are strong characters, and we just need to bounce back. Mentally we need to get in a clear space so that when we get to Wanderers, we can really play without any second thoughts, and have a good idea of how we want to go about our situation. We can go there and have an unbelievable Test match; a few things can go our way. It’s highly, highly possible, and it’s quite likely that it can happen as long as we don’t lose our determination.”
