Kagiso Rabada goads Ben Stokes again as new rivalry adds to a long line of England vs South Africa cricket duels

Rabada celebrates his dismissal of Stokes
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Tom Collomosse9 July 2017

Kagiso Rabada may be "heartbroken" about his Test ban but his anguish did not deter him from aiming another barb at Ben Stokes on Sunday.

The South Africa fast bowler has committed four misdemeanours in a 24-month period, meaning an automatic one-game suspension.

To Rabada’s credit, it has not affected his performance - or his sense of humour - at all. When he dismissed Stokes for the second time in the match, Rabada could have been forgiven for keeping celebrations to a minimum.

Not a bit of it. Stokes’ lbw was so clear that the all-rounder did not even bother to wait for umpire S Ravi to raise his finger. As he walked off, having made just one, Rabada rubbed his hand across the top of his head.

Was it a reference to Stokes’ burgeoning bald patch? If so, it was childish - but very funny.

South Africa captain Dean Elgar then made a show of clamping his hand across Rabada’s mouth. When he removed it, Rabada put his forefinger to his lips.

Stokes may have the last laugh in this match. South Africa bowled brilliantly this morning but Vernon Philander put down a straightforward chance to dismiss Jonny Bairstow for seven.

The England wicketkeeper eventually made 51 and helped his team establish a lead of 330, on a pitch showing increasing turn and variable bounce. The tourists started their run chase shakily and were 25 for three at tea, with their openers, Heino Kuhn and Elgar, back in the pavilion along with JP Duminy. Advantage Stokes and England.

Rabada and Stokes jousted during England’s last tour of South Africa, during the winter of 2015-16. Both are fine cricketers and their rivalry looks likely to become a running theme of these contests.

Series between England and South Africa often produce such compelling personal duels. Mike Atherton’s match-winning effort at Trent Bridge in 1998, when he survived a ferocious spell from Allan Donald, remains one of the highlights of modern English Test cricket.

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When Kevin Pietersen, South Africa-born, first played against the country of his birth, the reception was venomous. Pietersen and Graeme Smith, the Proteas skipper at the time, traded insults on the field and through the media for some years - though they are long since reconciled.

In 2012, it was Pietersen against his own side. KP was effectively banned for a Test after he was discovered to have sent messages about his then-captain, Andrew Strauss, to members of the South Africa side. No wonder South Africa won that three-match series 2-0.

Stokes winds up the opposition.

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He has had many a clash in his international career, notably with Marlon Samuels, the West Indies batsman, and Virat Kohli, the captain of India. Add Rabada to that list - and expect him to resume his tussle with Stokes in the Third Test at The Kia Oval, at the end of the month.

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