Reprieved Rabada to keep his cool: SAfrica

South Africa coach Ottis Gibon says Kagiso Rabada has learned his lesson and will be on his best behaviour in Cape Town, regardless of how much he is provoked.

Kagiso Rabada

South Africa's Kagiso Rabada will behave well in the third Test, his coach says. (AAP)

South Africa coach Ottis Gibson expects Kagiso Rabada to rise above any Australian attempts to bait him in the third Test.

Rabada's two-Test suspension, resulting from a physical send-off in which he brushed the shoulder of Steve Smith in Port Elizabeth, has been overturned upon appeal.

It means the world's top-ranked bowler, fresh from man-of-the-match honours in the second Test, will be steaming in during the match that starts in Cape Town on Thursday.

However, Rabada ris on his final warning.

The 22-year-old's poor disciplinary record now stands at seven demerit points. Another misdeed, no matter how minor, will trigger a two-Test ban.

Smith last month floated the idea of trying to provoke Rabada and it wouldn't be a major surprise if the tourists adopt that tactic at Newlands.

"I don't think so. They might do but he's a smart kid and I'm sure he's learnt his lesson from what happened last week," Gibson said.

"I don't expect that he will make the same mistake again.

"He's not badly behaved, he's just very excited and exuberant sometimes.

"In all the stuff that he did there was no aggressive intent, other than celebrating a wicket, but we've made him aware of the batsman's space and where his space needs to be.

"He's too important a player for us to have something like this go on again."

Rabada has now been booked for five separate incidents during the past 13 months.

Gibson insisted the express paceman would be in a good mental state when the series continues, pointing to how desperate he was to train on Monday after a six-hour hearing.

"He's a strong character," he said.

'You saw yesterday, he came out and I had to almost force him to warm up because all he wanted to do was get stuck in with his teammates."

South Africa's team manager Mohammed Moosajee, who gave evidence at Monday's hearing, described independent judicial commissioner Michael Heron's verdict as being "great for the series and for Test cricket".

"There were definitely key learnings for everybody. I think it will stimulate healthy debate," Moosajee said.

"We will always support our players in situations like these where we believe the code of conduct has been unfairly forced upon us."

Rabada had his level-two charge of making "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact" with Smith thrown out, with Heron overturning the verdict of match referee Jeff Crowe.

Heron instead found Rabada guilty of a minor level-one charge of conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.

"We were preparing for him to play. We want to play against the best players in the world," Australia offspinner Nathan Lyon said.

"We respect the ICC's decision. It's not for me to sit here and say it's right or wrong."


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Source: AAP



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Reprieved Rabada to keep his cool: SAfrica | SBS News