ICC charge David Warner, Quinton de Cock for breaching code of conduct

Australia’s tour of South Africa has started on a bitter note, to say the least. The first Test match that took place in Durban was marred by controversies both on and off the field. As if David Warner’s condescending celebrations upon getting AB de Villiers run-out and Nathan Lyon throwing the ball at him wasn’t enough, Day 4 also saw a dressing room brawl between de Kock and Warner. 

The altercation took place on the stairway as the two teams broke for Tea and was caught by the CCTV camera. The clip released by SA outlet Independent Media clearly showed Warner and de Kock engaging in a verbal fight. The opener was soon seen being restrained by Usman Khawaja before being dragged away by Steve Smith. Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis and others soon came out and joined in the brawl before Warner was taken away.

And on Tuesday, both the players were charged for breaching the code of conduct. While Warner was charged with a Level 2 offence that could see a one-match ban, de Kock got just Level 1 charges, which should be at most a fine. Both the teams have been given until Wednesday to respond to the charges.

The fourth day wasn’t the first time that Warner had come under the radar. He was also involved in sledging Aiden Markram after de Villiers had gotten out. Nathan Lyon has already been fined 15 percent of his match fee and was also handed one demerit point for his action. However, he did apologize to de Villiers soon and clarified that his actions had no malice intended.