Graeme Smith unhappy with Rabada's suspension

Promising South African pacer Kagiso Rabada will be missing the second Test between England and South Africa as he has been banned for swearing in the first Test. The 22-year-old was booked for verbally abusing English all-rounder Ben Stokes in the opening Test at Lords Cricket Ground. After Rabada dismissed Stokes on day 1 of the Test, he was heard hurling obscene language on Stokes.

However, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith is unhappy with the decision to suspend Rabada. Smith said it was ‘ridiculous’ to ban the fast bowler and if not for the stump mic, nobody would have objected to it. The former skipper feels that the issue was blown out of proportion and could have been handled in a better way.

“During the opening day’s play in the Lord’s Test against England on Thursday, Rabada was found guilty of … ‘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” The ICC statement read after the match. But Smith feels that since nobody on-field objected to it, the matter could have been nip in the bud.

“It’s ridiculous,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo. “No-one wrote about it, no-one spoke about it. It was only because it was on the stump mic that it’s become a thing.”

Out of frustration? 

“It could have been handled better. I don’t think it was aimed at Ben Stokes. I just think it was out of frustration. If it wasn’t picked up by the stump mics he wouldn’t have been done,” Smith said on Test Match Special.

The sanction against Rabada was proposed by match referee Jeff Crowe, the former New Zealand captain.But as per the rules of the ICC, the paceman will now not play in the second Test of a four-match series at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge beginning on Friday.