The Off-Field Circus of AU vs SA
Sometimes tempers flare, especially in sport. These instances manifest from the excesses of emotion inevitable in companions in competition, as everyone involved wants to win. When things do spill over, however, there is usually an understanding amongst all of the participants to quickly calm things down. At the end of the day, rules are in place, and there are authorities charged with making sure that things don’t get nasty.
Cricketers Used to Have Respect
Cricket is supposed to be a game in which the players share a mutual respect for the sport, but the last two weeks of the Australian tour of South Africa suggest that the days of the game being one for gentlemen are long gone.
David Warner vs. Quinton de Kock
Even those of us who primarily use the internet to investigate NRL betting tips, not keep up to date with sports news, are aware of the Warner vs de Kock fiasco, in which the latter insulted the former’s wife. It was a deeply regrettable story that should have forced the players and management from both of the teams to put their focus back onto the field. Instead, the direct opposite occurred!
No Women’s Day in Cricket
When the second Test started in Port Elizabeth on Friday, International Women’s Day was certainly not on anyone’s mind. Certain members of the crowd wore printed Sonny Bill Williams masks, seemingly blissfully unaware of how an action of this kind might affect the only innocents in the mess: Candice Warner and her two daughters. To add insult to injury, two Cricket South Africa, CSA, officials were pictured, with huge grins on their faces, standing alongside three spectators in their offensive little masks.
The masks were intended to taunt Candice Warner, as a proxy for her husband, about an alcohol-fuelled sexual encounter she had with the All Black player in a Sydney pub back in 2007.
Unacceptable Behaviour from Everyone
Regardless of who said what to who and when, this should never have turned into the circus that it has become. David Warner’s actions were disgusting, as were Quinton de Kocks, but the Warner family should not have been subject to the ridicule they were.
Rabada Takes Centre Stage
By the end of the first day of the second Test, however, Warner and de Kock had suddenly become old news. The focus shifted to Kagiso Rabada, the Protea speedster and hero of day one.
Cleary a hot headed individual on the field and off, Rabada went too far with his salutations when he dismissed Steve Smith, the captain for the Australians.
The players brushed shoulders, and Smith milked the event for all that he could, the way footballers do when trying to cheat their way to a penalty in the box. Rabada, however, as far from innocent. He veered from his path in order to ensure he walked as close as he could to Smith, and then screamed directly into the ear of the top-ranked batsman in the world.
The odds are now good that Rabada will now miss out on the final two Tests of the series, thanks to this pathetic incident being the last straw for the ICC, and if that occurs he will have only himself to blame.
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