CAPE TOWN - Kagiso Rabada faces an anxious wait after his appeal hearing against an ICC Level 2 charge lasted six-and-a-quarter hours on Monday.
The proceedings started at 9am and continued throughout the day until Judicial Commissioner Michael Heron brought it to a conclusion at 3:15pm. Heron, a New Zealander, has 48 hours from the conclusion of the hearing to issue a verdict.
Rabada, 22, attended the hearing along with Advocate Dali Mpofu, team manager Mohammed Moosajee and members of CSA's legal team. Heron conducted the hearing via a video conference from New Zealand.
The ICC Judicial Commission was called upon to judge whether Rabada’s shoulder contact with Australian captain Steve Smith upon dismissing him in the second Test match at St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth last week was intentional or not.
The waiting game....Within 48hours!🇿🇦
— Dali Mpofu (@AdvDali_Mpofu) March 19, 2018
Rabada faces a two-match suspension if his appeal is not successful, which would result in the World’s No 1 bowler missing out on Thursday’s crucial third Test against Australia here at Newlands and the fourth final Test next week.
The young fast bowler, however, was in good spirits when he joined his Proteas teammates late in the afternoon after the hearing for their training session, where he immediately got stuck in and bowled out in the middle.
The series is currently tied at 1-1 after the first two Tests.
“We as players, I think we’re just trying to isolate ourselves away from that situation” - Dean on the team as they try to move on from Kagiso Rabada’s ICC appeal and concentrate on the upcoming Test match. #SAvAUS #ProteaFire #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/NQuQY6jar9
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) March 19, 2018