Suspended spearhead Kagiso Rabada’s six-hour hearing is over but the wait for independent commissioner Michael Heron’s verdict continues.
South African barrister Dali Mpofu, attempting to have Rabada’s two-Test ban overturned, argued on Monday that the express paceman did not deliberately make contact with Steve Smith’s shoulder during a send-off that marred the second Test.
Rabada, Proteas captain Faf du Plessis and team manager Mohammed Moosajee all gave evidence during proceedings, which Heron chaired via video conference.
Match referee Jeff Crowe, who found Rabada was responsible for making “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact” with Smith in Port Elizabeth, and umpires also gave their version of events.
Heron now has up to 48 hours to settle on a decision, which the International Cricket Council (ICC) will communicate to both teams and the media.
It means the saga could drag on until Wednesday afternoon, with the third Test starting a day later at Newlands.
“It’s been a marathon session,” Moosajee told reporters.
“In any hearing you’ve got to be as happy as you can be. We’ve put our side of the story across and now it’s up to the judicial commissioner.”
Rabada, who will miss the rest of the four-Test series against Australia unless his charge is thrown out, was late to the Proteas’ training session on Monday because of the hearing.
The 22-year-old rolled his arm over at Newlands.
“We’ve said it from the beginning. He needs to make sure he plans as if he’s going to play,” Moosajee said.
“It would be fantastic (for the series), I think everyone wants to see him on the field.”
Proteas opener Dean Elgar downplayed the prospect of the circus serving as a distraction.
“We haven’t even spoke about it since we got together today. We as players are trying to isolate ourselves away from that situation,” Elgar said.
“It’s out of our hands. Hopefully we can put this behind us an carry on playing cricket.”
Beanpole Morne Morkel, who revealed last month he would retire at the end of the current series, is likely to take Rabada’s place in the XI should his appeal prove unsuccessful.
Elgar admitted losing Rabada would be a big blow.
“Having him in the side is massive for us,” he said.
“If he’s good to go for the third Test it would be awesome for us and awesome for the game.”
Australia opener Cameron Bancroft talked up the threat posed by Morkel but suggested Australia were prepared for the prospect of Rabada playing the third Test.
Rabada told reporters last week he takes “responsibltiy for what happened” and needs to stop “letting the team down”.
The right-armer was given a two-Test suspension because of his bad record, having accrued five demerit points from previous misdeeds.
“He had the opportunity to avoid the contact and I could not see any evidence to support the argument that the contact was accidental,” Crowe said in a statement after the second Test.
“It is also disappointing that this has happened the day after the pre-match meeting I had with both teams, where the importance of respect for opponents was highlighted.”
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Pope Paul VII I reckon I pretty well nailed that then!! Hoping very much too that the Rooboys can improve their conversion this year.
I would suggest the barrister/lawyer/advocate that got Rabada off was worth every penny he charged
TC123
Guest
It was worth the wait
TC123
Guest
Cleared to play. A glorious day for cricket fans all over the world... or most of the world
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Hey Perry. He certainly deserved to be well pleased. I'm still optimistic North can put on a few modestly celebrated goals and surprise a few teams.
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Pope Paul VII I certainly agree in AFL land - especially when the guys up the field did all the hard work - - and that's generally a clear distinction to the self obsessed soccer players who run away from their mates to celebrate a goal. In cricket - there's a bit of a distinction in the case of Smith and Warner wickets for a guy like Rabada. He did those solo - clean bowled and lbw - no help from a catcher, or poorly executed shot - he's 'done' the batter in each case - and for a big fast bowler I'm pretty fine any day of the week for them to show some delight. Carrying on like a pork chop though if someone pretty well gifts their wicket is another story.
Jake
Guest
Geoff Lemon? He's terrible.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I have found that I often get better insight from CA about other countries than their own official sites. Series coverage and the like is far more informative, if nothing else. Stuff like the ODI qualifiers you don't find much about on too many places, but CA cover it. It's not the most balanced but it's a lot fairer and diverse than perhaps given credit for. Cricinfo the site is pretty balanced, generally speaking; I'd say the worst of it is pretty shocking sometimes though, a lot more than what you'd find most other places. Again, the commentators are what I was referring to. It's the same rubbish that I have to avoid on the facebook page or just about every other social media site.
Nick
Roar Guru
Whitewash to whitewash isn't exactly glowing praise of CA or Michael Clarke. On the CA quip, they don't tend to provide opinion from the other side do they? I won't say it's a dinky di 100% Aussie Aussie Aussie website, but as a national website, they are never really going to look at things objectively. I'd say the same of any of the other national websites. The ECB is by far the worst. About as fair and balanced as the Daily Mail. I've not found too much that I would find 'unbalanced' on cricinfo, considering the neutral stance it needs to take. I would say that some of the Indian commentators on the website would need to reconsider their conflicts of interest though.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Brettig was a massive CA fanboy during the Clarke era haven't read him for a while though.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
The ICC are making the rules which must surely be based on evidence. I don't mind joy but the in ya face stuff I've never been a fan of no matter what country they are from. Not a big fan of over the top goal celebrations in the AFL either.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
I never said anything about the quality of the articles. I was referring to the trolling that regularly inhabits many of the articles there, especially if they involve Australia in anyway. That being said, there's plenty of unbalanced journalism there as well. Since you've said that as well, what exactly defines "CA propaganda"?
Nick
Roar Guru
You know they are much more balanced than you think. Some of Australia's finest cricket writers are on cricinfo. Brettig, Coverdale, Lemon, Haigh contribute exceptional stuff that leaves the CA propaganda for dead. This rubbishing of cricinfo is pretty much why there's a stack of people (not suggesting that you are one of them) that haven't a clue about the game outside Australian matches.
Nick
Roar Guru
James, He's currently on 9 points. A mitigation of the Smith charge can see him get below the 8 threshold. He got 3 for Smith, 1 for Warner.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
I think you're also looking for Cricinfo.
Zozza
Guest
Simth is a girl, ban him. What a whimp. Like most Aussies actually.
jameswm
Guest
Even if unintentional, he gets demerit points for that send off, and demerit points for the one he gave to Warner. I think either one is enough to see him miss the 3rd test. If he gets nothing for Smith and Warner only, he only misses one test. So I'd have thought he's out for the 3rd test regardless.
Ches
Guest
correct @mike dugg. I can't see KR getting off completely as he has already publicly admitted it was his fault, well at least 50/50. Big chance though it will be downgraded. Worse case for him will be he plays the last test match. Best chance for KR is no suspension. However I can't see the ICC being that soft. The other thing besides the series value is that country is so disjointed politically could help them some how if KR plays at least 1
Perry Bridge
Guest
I dunno - Smith is walking off the cut strip - while Rabada is walking straight down the line edge of the pitch just on the cut strip. So - given they aren't actually nose to nose - they DO have separation initially - can we accept that Rabada was celebrating with his team mates running into towards him from all angles - after all, he'd just secured the key wicket. Part of the dilemma now is that instead of Smith being on his bike and making for the change rooms - he's instead loitering to work out whether to appeal the appeal. I'm still pretty comfortable that it was unintentional. Such - that 'deliberate' doesn't apply. I didn't realise that bowlers now have to remove any sense of emotion/joy at taking a wicket?? (of course - prior to DRS - that was the final word on the matter - in this case, it could still have been over turned).
Pope Paul VII
Guest
I love your defensive work Perry but Rabs was enjoying giving the greatest batsman in the world one of the biggest send offs of all time. Very few batsmen make eye contact with a bowler on being given out, especially a charging one screaming like a banshee. Smith was well aware he was there which was why he was studiously ignoring him. Probably why Rabs made contact with him.