Steve Smith shouldered by Kagiso Rabada as controversy grips second Test

South African quick ignores warning to behave in second Test, making contact with Steve Smith after taking his wicket.

Australian captain Steve Smith (left) clashes with South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada after being dismissed in the first innings of the Second Test. Photo: Fox Sports

Australia and South Africa were warned by the umpires to behave in the second Test, but the warning fell on deaf ears with the match referee sure to examine an incident that could see Kagiso Rabada miss the rest of the series.

Rabada tore the heart of the Australian innings and tore strips off Steve Smith when he dismissed the Australian batsman to trigger an incredible collapse.

#SAvAUS This nudge between Rabada and Smith will no doubt be reviewed by the match referee pic.twitter.com/2ln0tmTOln

— Michael Sherman (@Golfhackno1) March 9, 2018

South Africa are 1-39 at stumps and in the ascendancy after Australia was all out for 243.

The visitors got to 1-98 at lunch, losing Cameron Bancroft two deliveries before the break, but it was all downhill after that.

Australia lost 5-72 in the second session and 4-73 in third, the batsmen unable to keep out Rabada.

The average first innings score at the stadium in the past five years has been 395 and the Australians are well below par.

Rabada took 5-13 in 18 balls either side of tea. He will be delighted with his return but match officials will look closely at contact with Smith and the verbal send off he gave the batsman.

South Africa's bowler Kagiso Rabada, second right, celebrates after dismissing Australia’s Shaun Marsh. Photo: AP

The Australian captain did not look happy about the quick brushing shoulders with him as he went past. The Code of Conduct covers making inappropriate conduct with an opposition player in under section 2.2.7 and notes:

“Without limitation, Players will breach this regulation if they deliberately walk or run into or shoulder another Player.”

Rabada was recently suspended for a Test match and is already carrying five demerit points. Officials warned players they would have to be on their best behaviour for this match.

If he receives three more demerit points — the amount he received for clashing with Niroshan Dickwella in a match against Sri Lanka in February last year — he will be out for the next two Tests.

He has lost points for send offs on two other occasions.

The incident follows a verbal clash between David Warner and Quinton de Kock in the stairwell at Durban on Day four.

Vernon Philander took 2-25 from 18 frugal overs yesterday and held out the Australian attack when he came in as a nightwatchman.

The seamer praised Rabada’s bowling and defended his behaviour on the field.

“It’s a bunch of men playing this game. It would be a total different game if it had to be a bunch of schoolboys. Sometimes there is going to be a little chirp. That’s the reason why we play the game.

David Warner acknowledges applause after making his half century. Photo: Getty Images

“Like I said we’re a bunch of men, we tend to take things a little personal but it’s all part of the game. It’s the top two teams in the world going head to head against each other.”

Rabada trapped Smith (25) LBW with the last ball of his 14th over, Shaun Marsh LBW (24) with the second of his next and Mitchell Marsh (4) caught behind three balls after that.

Marsh slid down the order and looked to have caught the gastro bug doing its way through the Australian camp. He was unable to field in the South African innings.

After tea the rampage continued with Pat Cummins gone for a golden duck and Mitchell Starc out for eight.

“Once you have a bit of pace on it you’re always going to be threatening, always in the game,” Philander said.

“I don’t think it went quite big today, there was a hint of it. Just the way that KG went out, he hit his lengths pretty well, which was key on this wicket and he got the rewards for it.”

Tim Paine (36) combined to put on 31 runs with Josh Hazlewood to take the total to 243.

Earlier in the day, Warner bounced back after a torrid few days off the field. The opener scored his 29th Test half century but was bowled by the young Lungi Ngidi for 63 after the lunch break.

Cummins made the only breakthrough when South Africa faced the last 12 overs of the day, trapping Aiden Markram LBW for 11.

Kagiso Rabada’s rap sheet
• Feb, 2017: Inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella. Three demerit points and fined 50% of match fee.
• July, 2017: Used inappropriate language after dismissing England allrounder Ben Stokes. One demerit point and fined 15% of match fee.
• Feb, 2018: Using language which could provoke an aggressive reaction from another player in send-off of India batsman Shikhar Dhawan. One demerit point and fined 15% of match fee.
Rabada is on a total of 5 demerit points. If he receives 3 more he will be suspended for the last two Tests.
CLOSE CALLS
• Nov, 2016: Gave debutant Nic Maddinson a send-off in Adelaide that was understood to be stacked with Afrikaans expletives.
• Mar, 2018: Gave David Warner a send-off in Durban that caught the attention of both umpires.

— with AAP