PORT ELIZABETH: South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is in danger of being banned for the rest of the series after he was charged on Saturday by match officials for intentionally bumping into Australia captain Steve Smith when he got him out on the first day of the second test in Port Elizabeth.
Rabada was charged with a level two breach of the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct regarding inappropriate physical contact. Rabada bumped into Smith with his shoulder during his follow-through after dismissing the Australia skipper lbw on Friday at St. George’s Park.
Rabada currently has five demerit points on his disciplinary record and will be banned for two tests if he reaches eight demerit points. Level two offenses carry a penalty of three to four demerits, which would take Rabada over the threshold.
Rabada will contest the charge on the basis that he claims the contact with Smith was unintentional, South Africa team spokeswoman Lerato Malekutu said. Rabada will have a hearing later on Saturday following the second day’s play, she said.
It’s the second time the 22-year-old Rabada, recently ranked the No. 1 test bowler in the world, has been charged over inappropriate on-field physical contact. Last year he was found guilty of deliberate physical contact with Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella and was given three demerit points. He served a one-test ban in England last year.
Rabada’s is the fourth player disciplinary case of an ill-tempered South Africa-Australia series, which is only two days into the second of four tests.
Australia spin bowler Nathan Lyon was fined for bringing the game into disrepute after celebrating a wicket in the first test in Durban by intentionally dropping the ball on South Africa batsman AB de Villiers.
The animosity between the teams then spilled over in Durban when Australia’s David Warner and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock were involved in a confrontation on a staircase near the dressing rooms during a break in play. In the incident, a clearly angry Warner had to be restrained by teammates as he argued with de Kock.
Warner and de Kock were also fined and given demerit points but are both playing in the second test, as is Lyon.
Kagiso Rabada charged over Steve Smith shoulder bump and faces ban
Kagiso Rabada charged over Steve Smith shoulder bump and faces ban
Wawrinka rolls back the years to beat Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan in front of Federer
- 3-time Slam winner upped his level when required to serve his way past Hassan at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
- Top-ranked Arab player on the ATP Tour, Moez Echargui of Tunisia, was also in action on day 1, slipping to the narrowest of defeats to Mpetshi Perricard
DUBAI: Forty-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who is competing in his final Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, rolled back the years on Centre Court to overcome Lebanese wildcard Benjamin Hassan in straight sets and become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament’s 34-year history.
Wawrinka’s record was previously held by his Swiss compatriot, the legendary Roger Federer, so it was fitting then that the 20-time Grand Slam winner was inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium to cheer on his fellow Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m not sure it’s the best record of his to have,” Wawrinka joked in his on-court interview as fans switched from cheering his every move to applauding an on-screen image of Federer, who won the title here eight times, including his last at the ripe old age of 37 in 2019. “(The appreciation of the fans) is one of the reasons why I have kept playing for so long — to enjoy these matches and these tournaments. I’m super grateful to all those who came out tonight.”
Wawrinka looked far from a player ready to hang up his racket as he beat Hassan 7-5, 6-3 and without dropping a single service game. That is not to say the German-born Hassan failed to put up a fight, but only that whenever he got close — and he forced three break-points across the two sets — Wawrinka seemed to go up a level. In both games where the Swiss looked like he might see his serve broken, he pulled an ace out of his bag to finish the match with nine aces overall.
“All good things have to come to an end,” Wawrinka said when asked why he is choosing to step away now when he evidently still has so much to offer. “Nobody can play forever and as much as I am passionate and still playing well, I know that it’s the right thing to do.”
Hassan, ranked World No. 289 and making his Dubai debut, revealed he was thankfully not aware of Federer’s presence until after the match, adding: “Stan played really good and was serving unbelievable. I had my chances to come back in the second set but unfortunately missed some returns. It was tough, but I’m happy with my performance. Lots of things to work on, of course, but overall, it was just a privilege to be here, to play my first match, and against Stan — it’s incredible.”
Asked in his post-match news conference whether he had taken the chance to speak with Federer at all, Hassan raised his hand in the air: “I’m never washing this hand again! He came to me and said ‘good match’ and I said ‘thank you’ in German. He looked a little bit surprised to hear that, but, yeah, I will always keep this hand dry now in the shower!”
Another Arab player was in action on day one as Tunisian Moez Echargui also made his Dubai debut, taking on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. In a match of the finest margins, Echargui — the highest-ranked Arab on tour at 141, yet ranked 83 places below his opponent — forced three tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged the final set to progress 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).
Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, this month is proving eye-opening for the 33-year-old North African as he embraces the experience of playing in such high-profile events. Echargui and his coaches are using the new opportunities afforded to him as a wildcard to improve and learn as much as possible against the world’s best players.
“Going on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds”, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week. “Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all of the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all of the Arab world, especially here in Dubai. It’s such a privilege. It’s been fulfilling — a great experience.”
