Steve Smith: I think Rabada bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked

Tempers are on check whenever the Australian Cricket team steps on the pitch for any competitive match around the globe. The recent Test series versus the Proteas is a reminder that although the likes of Andrew Symonds, Merv Hughes have departed from the game, the team is still renowned for their shrewd antics on the pitch.

But the predator turned prey this time around, as Australian captain Steven Smith was pushed aside by South African pacer Kagiso Rabada after he was dismissed by the bowler. The pacer was subsequently banned for two matches after that by the ICC, but his appeal was accepted by the ICC later and he was cleared to play in the next match of the series.

Smith however, is adamant that the bowler made more contact with him that the camera footage suggested. Smith was quick to add that he felt that the ICC have made their stance on the issue pretty clear while Australian teammate Nathan Lyon said that the team have accepted the decision and want ‘No more drama.’

“I certainly think he (Rabada) bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked in the footage,” Smith told cricket.com.au in an interview.

“They’ve obviously decided what’s deliberate contact and what’s not and apparently it wasn’t. The ICC have set the standard, haven’t they? There was clearly contact out in the middle. I certainly won’t be telling my bowlers to go out there and after you take a wicket go and get in their space. I don’t think that is on and part of the game. But the standard has been set."

Rabada was initially given three demerit points for the incident in Port Elizabeth by match referee Jeff Crowe, which triggered an automatic two-Test ban. But judicial commissioner Michael Heron said that he was not completely satisfied that the contact was deliberate and reduced the charge to acting against the spirit of the game, which meant he just got a one demerit point for the incident. Rabada can now feature for the next match in the series to help the Proteas beat the Australians on their home turf for the first time since apartheid.

“The way he handled both sides throughout the two Test matches, I thought he did a terrific job. I’d be feeling a bit annoyed if I was him, to be perfectly honest,” Smith added.