Kagiso Rabada, the South African lynchpin, reopened the debate on whether cricket has remained a gentleman's game or not following his antics on the second day of the third Test against England on Friday.
Rabada, toiling hard on an unresponsive pitch and troubled by a solid batting display from England, picked up the big wicket of Joe Root with an absolute beauty. The charged-up right-arm pacer, after castling the England skipper, rushed towards the batsman and let out an angry cry.
Rabada's celebration was considered overaggressive and the bowler, who has battled temperamental issues in the past, was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and picked up his fourth demerit point in a period of 24 months, leading to a one-Test ban from the ICC.
Former internationals felt the ICC was too harsh on Rabada. Micheal Vaughan, the former England captain, was livid with the apex governing body. "Over rates and slow play, nothing gets done. Celebrate a wicket and you are banned. The world is bloody nuts," Vaughan posted on Twitter. There were some who criticised Rabada's act. "You can't keep making the same mistakes. He has done damage to his team," said West Indies great Michael Holding.
Jonty Rhodes, the South African fielding great, felt too much governance could take characters out of cricket. "Look we used to hate Shane Warne," Rhodes, who was here for the Global Sports Injury Conclave, said in an interaction with reporters on Saturday.
"Our batsmen would hate him for what he told them. For the chirps he had for them. But the respect we had for his game was immense. There is too much cricket happening out there so people need to be convinced there is a contest going on. These are the needles we need in a match. I understand there is a fine line and you are seen as a role model. But when you are asked to play your heart out, give 100 per cent for your country, then you can't expect him to not react," he offered.
Ahead of the series, South Africa was criticised for failing to meet the transformation target of fielding six players of colour when the selectors overlooked the out-of-form Temba Bavuma.
Speaking on the issue, Rhodes said: "If you ask me, the bigger concern is the equal opportunity and not racism. The racial issue is going to be there in South Africa for a long time to come. But my question is why in 20 years have we not produced chances for young players in disadvantaged communities? India is getting talents from Tier 2 cities. For me, getting youngsters to play cricket on level terms is important," he said.