South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been suspended for the second Test against England after swearing at all-rounder Ben Stokes on the first day of the Lord’s Test.
Rabada got Stokes out for 56 early in the last session and then gave the flame-haired Pom a send off and told him to “fuck off”.
His words were picked up by the stump microphones and the on-field umpires reported Rabada to match referee Jeff Crowe, which led a level one charge being laid.
Rabada accepted the charge, leading to him being fined 15% of his match fee and given one demerit point.
However, the 22-year-old already had three points on his record for “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact” with Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella during an ODI in February, which meant a one match suspension was automatically triggered.
The suspension compounds an already tough Test match for South Africa — England made 458 in the first dig, with the Proteas in strife at 5/214 in reply.