Sandton [South Africa], Jan 23 : Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) director of cricket Graeme Smith said Kagiso Rabada is a poster boy of the side and has been dealing with a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
Rabada, the frontline pacer of the Proteas bowling attack, was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and as a result, he would be missing the upcoming fourth Test match against England.
He was also fined 15 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point after being found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for players and player support personnel.
“He is a poster boy and we need to develop more poster boys. Too much has been put on his shoulders as well. He is on every ad, playing every game, he is carrying the can. If he doesn’t perform well, we are in trouble,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Smith as saying.
According to Smith, it is good that Rabada is rested as he was playing back-to-back games. The director wants others p[layers from the team to step up and take the responsibilities on their shoulders.
“I think it’s a good thing he is being rested in this series, we need to see some other people step up and start filling that void and taking some pressure off him. Maybe that will help as well,” Smith said.
During the first day of the third Test match, Rabada dismissed Joe Root, and he celebrated in a very vocal manner. He was also seen getting too close to the batsman.
“It’s learning how to channel that emotion in the moment, when your adrenaline is pumping and you have put in the hard work,” he added.
England lead the four-match series 2-1 and the final match of the series will be played at Wanderers Stadium from January 24.
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