Aussies join calls to turn stump mics off

Two former Australia fast bowlers have joined the chorus of support for Kagiso Rabada in the wake of his one-Test ban and condemned the use of stump mics in international cricket broadcasts.

South Africa pace firebrand Rabada has been banned from this week's Trent Bridge Test against England after his cussing in celebration of dismissing allrounder Ben Stokes was relayed over the broadcast.

Peter Siddle, who is on the comeback trail after a back injury, said it was "disappointing" the indiscriminate use of stump mics had effectively robbed a Test of one of its star players.

"It's always the case that the TV company comes out afterwards and says 'sorry, just a little mix-up and it shouldn't have been heard'," Siddle told The Unplayable podcast.

"A similar thing happened to Michael Clarke in the Ashes in 2013-14 having a go at Jimmy Anderson. At the end of the day the TV company comes out and just apologises.

"It has to be stopped … there's a bit of emotion on the field, it's just a bit of fun, it's a tough contest out there and sometimes the emotion comes out.

"Sometimes it doesn't sound great but it's not meant (to cause) any harm to the person at the other end, it's just a bit of anger or frustration.

"We're going to miss one of the most exciting players in Test cricket at the moment, he's going to miss a Test because of someone else's mishap."

Australian great Jason Gillespie, now a leading coach, said audio from stump mics was "unnecessary" for broadcasts.

"I’m a big believer that the stump mics should be turned down," he told cricket.com.au.

"I believe they're up too much, I don't think you need to be hearing the players talking to each other, I don’t think that’s necessary.

"The umpires are mic'd up, why do we need to hear the players talk? That’s just asking for trouble."

Gillespie said the incident should prompt the ICC to rethink the demerit point system introduced last year that has seen Rabada banned.

"On the face of it, it seems harsh but it wasn't just that one incident, it was a cumulation of incidents that added up and ended being a ban," Gillespie said.

"I get that but I don't have to necessarily agree with it.

"We want to see our best players playing our game. If you're leaving the best players out for what a lot of people would see as not a massive offence – is that the right thing?

"We bang on about over rates all the time and we don’t see many people missing games for a complete disregard of over rates time and time again.

"I personally just want to see the best players play and Rabada is a fantastic young cricketer and we want to see him playing international cricket."

Siddle highlighted the indiscriminate nature of the ban, revealing a hard line approach to on-field swearing rather than just that which is broadcast would have seen many more suspensions.

"If that had of been the case in the last five to ten years … probably myself and a few of my teammates would have missed a fair bit of cricket I would have thought," Siddle said.

"I was pretty lucky not a lot of stump mics were used by the TV companies in most of my career."