Steve Smith lashes ICC over returning Kagiso Rabada

Steve Smith has questioned the ICC’s appeal process after Kagiso Rabada’s two-match ban was dropped.

Kagiso Rabada’s return has Steve Smith fired up. Picture: AP

Steve Smith has questioned the International Cricket Council’s appeal process after Kagiso Rabada’s two-match ban was dropped. And the Australian skipper dismissed as “garbage” suggestions on Vernon Philander’s Twitter account that he exaggerated contact with the South African bowler.

Cynical and quietly annoyed, Smith said it was “interesting” he was not called as a witness in the six-hour appeal hearing and also claimed the bump was more significant than it appeared.

The ICC had, until the hearing for the bowler who took 11-150 in the second Test, endorsed a zero-tolerance approach to contact between players.

“The ICC have set the standard, haven’t they?” Smith said. “There was clearly contact out in the middle. I certainly won’t be telling my bowlers to go out there and after you take a wicket go and get in their space. I don’t think that is on and part of the game. But the standard has been set.”

Smith said the decision had shifted the boundaries on player behaviour and he would seek out the new match referee, Andy Pycroft, for more clarity on the lay of the land ahead of the third Test, which starts tomorrow.

Earlier, New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron QC, dismissed the original finding by match referee Jeff Crowe that Rabada was guilty of making “inappropriate and deliberate contact” with Smith.

It is rare for a Code of Conduct charge to be overturned. The ICC commissioner did, however, find that Rabada’s actions were “inappropriate, lacked respect for his fellow player and involved non-deliberate and minor contact”. Adding that his “actions contravened the principle that a dismissed batsman should be left alone”.

Heron reduced the original level-two code of conduct violation, which carries a two/three demerit-point penalty to a level-one charge, which brings with it a one/two demerit-points penalty.

Despite Rabada having attracted three previous violations in the past 14 months — and a separate charge in the Test at Port Elizabeth — Heron gave him a one-point penalty. Two points would have sustained the two-Test ban.

Some believe the outcome was contrived to allow the quick, who has become a national hero on the back of his extraordinary feats despite being only 22, to play the rest of the series.

“It was interesting the way things played out and that he was able to get the charge brought down with an appeal,” Smith said.

Heron and Crowe needed to be “reasonably satisfied” the contact was deliberate but the former was persuaded by Cricket South Africa’s legal team this was not the case.

The ICC appeals process is shrouded in secrecy but Smith revealed he was not asked for his account of the incident, which occurred in the first innings.

“It’s pretty interesting when you’re, I guess, looking for evidence and those kind of things,” the Australian captain said. “The other person involved not getting asked about it is pretty interesting, I thought.”

Crowe had warned players on the eve of the last Test to control themselves but he has left the series. Smith and some senior Australian players had a talk with his replacement, Pycroft, three days out from the match about playing the game in the right spirit. “I might have a chat to him around what’s gone on,” Smith said. “Obviously they’ve deemed the contact not to be deliberate and set the line in the sand of what is appropriate and what’s not. We’ll see what he has to say.”

High-profile defence lawyer Dali Mpofu told Australian radio host Gerard Whateley that Rabada was a “huge figure” and spoke of his “cross-racial appeal”, which he said was important to a country with a history such as South Africa.

The Australians are still upset about a midnight tweet on Vernon Philander’s Twitter account that accused Smith of faking contact and claimed he was equally guilty.

“I think that’s a bit over the top,” Smith said. “I was just going down to chat to Shaun (Marsh). I had just been given out. So trying to see whether I could find a way to still be out in the middle. Unfortunately I couldn’t. I think that’s all a load of garbage, to be honest with you.”

Rabada is seen to drop his shoulder as he approaches Smith, but Heron dismissed the original finding that the contact was deliberate.

“I certainly think he bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked on the footage,” Smith said. “It didn’t bother me too much. He’s won the battle. What’s the point of over-celebrating? And getting in the face of a batter; you’ve already won the battle. But they’ve obviously decided what’s deliberate contact and what’s not and apparently it wasn’t.”

Smith expressed sympathy for the match referee.

“I’d be feeling a bit annoyed if I was him, to be perfectly honest,” Smith said.

Faf du Plessis was at the hearing on Monday at the Westin Hotel and said it is a “fair process”.

“I think it’s really good for the game, I don’t see a problem where a neutral guy sits and makes a decision and listens to both parties, I was there and said to our people that even if we didn’t win the case I was very impressed with the judge and how he listened to both sides. He was very fair in the question he asked. I think the process is good. You should a platform if you feel you haven’t done something wrong and have someone who sits in the middle and has a fair, objective point of view of listening to both sides and making a decision. “

The South African captain failed in an appeal against a ball tampering charge in Australia and is carrying three demerit points as a result.

“I wish I had this judge with me in Australia _ I’d be sitting on one point as well,” he said with a smile.

Du Plessis said he didn’t think Smith needed to be in attendance.

“He wasn’t charged, if he was charged probably he would have been asked, KG was charged so he’s defending himself. The judge has to decide if he sees it as intentional. Nothing I was going to say was going to have any impact on that, I wasn’t even needed to talk. He’s pure decision was made on the deciding factor if it was on purpose or not.”