Kagiso Rabada could be skirting with danger with his send-off to Australian batsman Chris Lynn in the second ODI in Adelaide, if he is sanctioned under the ICC Code of Conduct by match referee Jeff Crowe. Rabada is currently on seven demerit points, and if he gets one more he could be suspended for four limited-overs internationals or two Tests, whichever is first.
The incident occurred in the 27th over of Australia's innings. Lynn had hit Rabada for a six and three fours off the first four balls of the over, after which he gloved a hook to the wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and was out for 44 off 44 balls. Rabada appeared to say a few words in the vicinity of Lynn during his celebration of the wicket.
6-4-4-4-WICKET!
— Telegraph Sport (@telegraph_sport) November 9, 2018
A huge over from @lynny50 but Kagiso Rabada gets the last laugh: https://t.co/CNara9lWcz pic.twitter.com/jWKrnfVW51
"Bit of a send-off at the end, I don't mind it at all," Lynn said of his dismissal at the end of the innings.
Earlier this year, Rabada was at the centre of a major controversy when he was hit with a two-Test ban for a shoulder brush with Steven Smith in Australia's first innings of the Port Elizabeth Test, but subsequently won an appeal and got the ban overturned. Rabada had initially been given three demerit points for the offence - taking his tally to eight - but the severity of the indiscretion was downgraded after his appeal and he was eventually given only one demerit point, which meant he was only on seven demerit points.
Rabada had been on five demerit points before the Port Elizabeth Test. In addition to the one demerit point for the Smith shoulder-brush, Rabada was also given a demerit point for his send-off to David Warner in the second innings of that Test.
The match referee in the Port Elizabeth Test was Jeff Crowe, who is incidentally the match referee for the ongoing ODI between South Africa and Australia in Adelaide.