ICC confirms date for Rabada hearing

Suspended Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will have his appeal hearing on Monday as he tries to overturn a two-Test ban that is set to rule him out of the final two matches of the Test series against Australia.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed Michael Heron QC of New Zealand has been appointed as the Judicial Commissioner for the hearing, which will take place on Monday via video conference.

Once the hearing is over, Mr Heron will have 48 hours to come to a decision meaning Rabada will be free to play in the third Test starting Thursday should his suspension be overturned.

Rabada was suspended for two Test after ICC match referee Jeff Crowe found the paceman guilty of a Level 2 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct when he brushed shoulders with Australia captain Steve Smith on day one of the second Test in Port Elizabeth.

The 22-year-old contested the charge but Crowe upheld the decision and handed down a punishment of three demerit points and 50 per cent of the right-armer’s match fee.

Cricket South Africa have hired barrister and politician Dali Mpofu to represent Rabada in the hearing.

"I do believe this is an important case for all South Africans and has implications for our shared project of nation-building. We should all wish Kagiso luck for Monday," Mpofu told newspaper The Times.

Rabada was named player of the match at St George’s Park for his match haul of 11-150, but unfortunately most of the focus on the boom speedster was about his actions without a ball in his hands.

“I’ve let myself and the team down,” Rabada told reporters after play on Monday.

“But I have to move forward and I have to see, if I do get banned, then I have to see it as a big learning curve and not repeat the same mistake, because I’ve ‘repeated’ the same mistake in the eyes of the umpires.

“I’m not happy about it.”

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26. Live coverage

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage