PORT ELIZABETH - David Warner has narrowly escaped being suspended for the second Test against South Africa, while Quinton de Kock was also censured on Wednesday from the ICC for their involvement in the stairwell fracas that engulfed the first Test in Durban.
De Kock was found of guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC's code of conduct in relation to bringing the game into disrepute. The South African wicket-keeper did not contest the charge, although the Proteas team management unsuccessfully tried to reduce the censure against him.
ICC match referee Jeff Crowe ruled that De Kock be fined 25% of his match fee and have one demerit point against his name at a meeting held at the team’s hotel on Wednesday evening.
Australia meanwhile accepted Warner’s Level 2 charge, which equated to three demerit points and 75% of his match fee. Four demerit points would have led to an automatic suspension of one Test or two ODIs/T20I's, whichever came first.
“Can you say whatever you can and then when something is said back to you then it’s offensive? You didn’t tell us where the line was. Let’s be clear where the line is…
I think everybody just needs to focus on cricket. Calm down and get back to cricket.” - Gibson #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/orBGkAeZOK
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) March 7, 2018