South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada to miss second Test against England for swearing at Ben Stokes
A stump microphone caught the 22-year-old telling Ben Stokes to 'f*** off'
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Your support makes all the difference.South Africa's highly-rated young seamer Kagiso Rabada will miss the second Test against England at Trent Bridge after telling Ben Stokes to "f*** off."
The 22-year-old was deemed to have used "inappropriate language" to England all-rounder Stokes on the opening day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.
His latest offence brought Rabada one 'demerit point' and a fine, but crucially it means he has accumulated four points under the International Cricket Council's (ICC) code of conduct.
Stump microphones picked up his comments, and an ICC statement said: "South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada has been suspended for next week’s Trent Bridge Test after his accumulated demerit points reached four within a 24-month period following his latest breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for which he received a 15 per cent fine and one demerit point.
"During the opening day’s play in the Lord’s Test against England on Thursday, Rabada was found guilty of breaching article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel, 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”."
Rabada had previously received a 50 per cent fine and three demerit points in the fourth One-Day International against Sri Lanka in Cape Town on 8 February 2017.
At Lord's, his lively seam bowling brought him 3-123 as England made 458 in their first innings, before reducing South Africa to 214-5 by the close of play on Friday. The second Test starts on July 14.
Rabada, playing in just his 18th Test, is already seventh in the ICC Test bowling rankings, boasting 74 wickets at an average of 24.39.
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