South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada on Tuesday (January 21) said he was surprised with his punishment for his exuberant celebration of Joe Root’s dismissal in the third Test against England in at Port Elizabeth, but vows to not let his team and himself down with his on-field act in future.

The speedster was fined 15% of his match fee by the International Cricket Council and has also received one demerit point after being proven guilty of breaching the Article 2.5 of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his or her dismissal during an international match” during the third Test.

Rabada will miss the fourth and final Test against England on January 24 after he gave an angry send-off to Root in Port Elizabeth, as the bowler has now accumulated four demerit points in a 24 month period following the latest development.

Read also: Brett Lee slams ICC's "ridiculous" decision to ban Rabada for celebrating Root's wicket

The 24-year-old’s absence will be a serious blow to South Africa’s hopes of leveling the ongoing four-match Test series when the two sides will play in the final Test on Friday after a heavy defeat in the Port Elizabeth Test which saw England taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Rabada said on Tuesday, “It was something I didn’t expect. Whether it was the right thing to ban me or the wrong thing, the reality is that I’m banned. It cannot keep happening because I’m letting the team down and I’m letting myself down. That’s why it hurts so much but it gives me a chance to work on my game and a chance to have a bit of a rest.”

He signed off by saying, “We haven’t done ourselves any favours, it feels as if we are always chasing. We’ve played long enough to know how to get out of a slump but it’s difficult. There is more pressure, we just have realise our strengths and trust our ability and play the way we know how.”

(With Reuters Inputs)