Faf du Plessis accuses Steve Smith of 'milking' Kagiso Rabada incident from 2018 series


image-lboscrzzSteve Smith led Australia at Adelaide vs West Indies [Source: Twitter]

Australia and South Africa gear up to battle each other in a reverting three-Test series starting December 17 in Brisbane. Ahead of the series, the press has once again reignited flames of the infamous 2018 series, which saw several players tussle it out on and off the field. 

One such incident involved Kagiso Rabada and Steve Smith during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, where the former brushed the Australian skipper's shoulder after dismissing him. The International Cricket Council initially banned Rabada for two Test matches but the decision was overturned after a six-hour long hearing.

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis - in his autobiography "Faf: Through Fire"— accused Smith of milking the whole episode like a football player.

"This episode has almost been forgotten against the backdrop of what the series still had up its sleeve, or more accurately, down its trousers. They brushed shoulders during one of KG’s overs but Smith milked it like a football player. We knew that KG was one demerit point away from a suspension."

The Proteas seamer ahead of the Gabba Test revealed that the incident is in the past and he wants to move forward now.

"What’s happened has happened. I am not going to say anything now. After my career I might talk a bit more about it and look back at what happened. But at the moment we will move on. It was definitely a Test series I will never forget and things did not end too well off the field."

Smith ended up losing his captaincy and was handed a nine month ban by Cricket Australia following his involvement in the 'Sandpaper Gate' in the third Test of the series.


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