South Africa try to get Kagiso Rabada off two match ban

IN a move which is sure to inflame already strained tensions between the teams, the Proteas are set to head into Kagiso Rabada’s appeal hearing and suggest Steve Smith was to blame.

South Africa are hoping to overturn the ban on paceman Kagiso Rabada.

South Africa’s desperate bid to get Kagiso Rabada off a shoulder charge is set to rely on the explosive accusation that Steve Smith was partially to blame.

In a move which is sure to inflame already strained tensions between the teams, the Proteas are expected to head into Monday’s appeal hearing in front of an ICC Judicial Commissioner and present replays they believe show Smith could have played a part in avoiding the mid-pitch contact.

It’s a turn of events which makes Vernon Philander’s “hacked” tweet seem prophetic, after the fast bowler’s account published a late-night message — since deleted — that questioned Smith’s character and intimated the Australian captain had somehow faked the bump to his shoulder.

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Rabada has been charged with making “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact” with Smith while giving the champion batsman a heated send-off during the second Test in Port Elizabeth. The world’s No. 1 fast bowler is fighting to escape a two-match ban which would wipe him out for the remainder of the series.

South Africa are hoping to overturn the ban on paceman Kagiso Rabada.

South Africa have hired gun barrister and politician Dali Mpofu to represent Rabada and it’s understood the attempt to downgrade the charge and have him play in the third Test in Cape Town starting on Thursday will centre around an argument that Smith’s role in the incident was also “inappropriate and deliberate” — therefore mitigating Rabada’s actions.

It’s an extraordinary accusation given replays seem to show Smith — who was walking up the wicket to consult with batting partner Shaun Marsh after being given out lbw — actually trying to pull his shoulder away at the last moment to avoid contact.

However, South Africa is confident there is footage which shows that Smith knew he was walking into Rabada’s line and could have changed his path.

Rabada’s stunning rise has transcended the cricket pitch and he is one of the most iconic figures in South African sport.

Lawyer Mpofu says it’s vital that Rabada beats the charge, and not just in the context of what is a blockbuster cricket series evenly poised at 1-1.

South Africa will argue Australian captain Steve Smith was partly to blame for the confrontation between him and Rabada.

“I do believe this is an important case for all South Africans and has implications for our shared project of nation-building,” Mpofu told The Times.

“We should all wish Kagiso luck for Monday.”

There is no such thing as double jeopardy in cricket and Smith cannot be retrospectively be charged for his part in the incident no matter what South Africa try and argue.

Smith also won’t be required to appear at the hearing in Cape Town, despite the likelihood he will be referenced by the Proteas legal team.

Rabada’s disciplinary record is so dire that even if he earns a downgrade he could still be suspended for the rest of the series.

After accepting a grade one charge for a second incident in the match where he sent-off David Warner, Rabada has virtually no wiggle room.

It means the original Steve Smith charge would have to come down from three points to one for him to escape a ban.

Philander claims it was a hacker who accused Steve Smith of soccer-style simulation, but either way, his tweet appears to reflect exactly what the South Africans are thinking.

“Haven’t really seen the footage (sic) of this incident but by the looks of this … Steve Smith gave KG the shoulder,” read the tweet from Philander’s account.

“He could have avoided any contact but to me he is just as guilty.

“Trying some football skills to get a penalty??? Pity he didn’t dive to top it off.”

Rabada is South Africa’s key bowler.

Meanwhile, Mpofu is a high profile figure in South Africa and was part of a legal team that successfully overturned the rape conviction of former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, while he also represented victims of the Marikana Massacre in 2012 and has worked on a number of major cases.

He is chairman of socialist party Economic Freedom Fighters, while as a young lawyer he had a close connection with Nelson Mandela’s wife Winnie and the anti- apartheid African National Congress party.

Mpofu was appointed to the country’s Judicial Service Commission by former president Jacob Zuma in 2017, while he is a former chief executive of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

Originally published as South Africa try to get Kagiso Rabada off two match ban