LONDON: South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has had his two-Test ban overturned on appeal, meaning he will be available for the remainder of the series against Australia.
Rabada was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the third and fourth Tests after being found guilty of two charges of misconduct for aggressive wicket celebrations in South Africa’s series-leveling victory in the second Test in Port Elizabeth.
The first charge, of deliberately bumping into Australia captain Steve Smith after getting him out in the first innings in Port Elizabeth, earned Rabada three disciplinary demerit points, taking him over a threshold and resulting in the ban.
Rabada and Cricket South Africa appealed that finding on the basis that he did not deliberately bump into Smith. The appeal was upheld after an independent judicial hearing in Cape Town on Monday.
“The key issue is whether Mr. Rabada made ‘inappropriate and deliberate physical contact’ with Mr. Smith,” said judicial officer Mike Heron, who heard the appeal. “I am not ‘comfortably satisfied’ that Mr. Rabada intended to make contact and I therefore find him not guilty.”
For the Smith incident, Rabada was found guilty on a lesser charge but the punishment did not constitute a ban. He had already pleaded guilty to a second charge in Port Elizabeth, of shouting in Australia batsman David Warner’s face when he got him out. That also did not constitute enough demerit points for a ban.
The decision to drop the two-Test ban is a major boost for South Africa ahead of the third clash in Cape Town starting tomorrow. Rabada is ranked the No.1 bowler in Tests and is the spearhead of the home team’s bowling attack.
The series is level at 1-1 with tests in Cape Town and Johannesburg to come, with South Africa seeking a first home series win over Australia since the end of apartheid.
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada available for rest of Australia series after ban overturned
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada available for rest of Australia series after ban overturned
Iradie set to become the first Belgium Saudi Cup night runner
- Gaelle Gernay’s 5-year-old will run in Friday’s $500,000 Saudi International Handicap presented by LUCID.
RIYADH: Trainer Gaelle Gernay will represent Belgium on the big stage this Friday and her runner, Iradie, could be a little under the radar in the $500,000 Saudi International Handicap presented by LUCID.
The 5-year-old mare by Sommerabend has spent most of her career in France, winning twice last summer over 1,800 meters and 2,000 meters, so the 2,100 meters at King Abdulaziz Racecourse should suit. And she will be the first Belgium representative in the race.
Iradie changed hands at the Arqana sales in France in mid-November, when bought by bloodstock agents Jerry McGrath and Toby Jones for $27,400. Iradie was last seen finishing third at Mons on Dec. 4.
“We’re excited, especially as we’re just a small stable in Belgium, so it’s quite a big story for us to go with a horse to Saudi Arabia on the weekend of The Saudi Cup,” Gernay said.
“Last year her owner Mr. Jones called me and said he’d like to buy a horse for the race and that’s how it started.
“He said he was still looking in September and then he found her at the sale. She ran in Belgium once to qualify, she ran quite well over a distance that was way too short for her over 1,500 meters. She was beaten only (by) a nose and ran a great race. We started to think about the race then.”
Gernay had a successful career in the saddle, riding in lady riders’ competitions, but her life in the west of the country is unusual compared with her competitors.
“I only have five in training for the moment, I used to do a lot of pre-training but it’s not an easy thing to do in Belgium and I have another job to combine with the horses,” she explained.
“My boyfriend William takes care of the horses at home and I actually work with police horses, the Royal Cavalry. But I’ve got good hours so I can also train in the mornings.”
While Christophe Soumillon remains Belgian racing’s greatest ambassador, with the sport itself staged only at a handful of tracks, Gernay is excited to see what Iradie can do.
“We’ve not had her that long, but she’s already changed a lot,” she said. “She did her last work last week, and we were very, very happy with her. Hopefully everything goes well from now on.”
