South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for the send-off he gave India batsman Shikhar Dhawan during the fifth ODI in Port Elizabeth.
Rabada was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. The incident happened in the eighth over of India’s innings when Rabada, after dismissing Dhawan, waved at the departing batsman and pointed to the dressing room. Dhawan made 34 as India won the match by 73-runs to take a winning 4-1 lead in the ODI series.
According to an ICC press release, Rabada “also made a comment which could have resulted in a reaction from the batsman.”
The South African quick now has five demerit points on his record after receiving three demerit points against Sri Lanka in an ODI in February last year and one during the Lord’s Test in July.
At that point, Rabada was suspended from the Trent Bridge Test against England after his accumulated points reached four following the Lord’s incident. After the latest error, Rabada is on thin ice as he faces more time away from the field if he is found guilty again.
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The ICC statement added: “If Rabada reaches the next threshold of eight or more demerit points within a 24-month period, he will be suspended again from either two Tests; one Test and two ODIs/T20Is; or four ODIs/T20Is, whichever comes first for the player.”
