Aussie pair may face action over sledge

‘‘We spoke to Aiden about running out their best player and one of the best players in the world.’’ Tim Paine

David Warner and Nathan Lyon could be scrutinised over their conduct in celebrating the runout of AB de Villiers at Kingsmead, although South African century-maker Aiden Markram on Sunday night played down the episode, saying it was ‘‘part of the game’’.

Match referee Jeff Crowe will be left to determine whether to take action against the Australian pair, as well as South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for the send-off he delivered Warner’s way on day three of the first test.

Footage later emerged of Warner having a fiery exchange with South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock at the tea break.

The confrontation became so heated that vice-captain Warner had to be held back by team-mate Usman Khawaja, with wicketkeeper Tim Paine also attempting to calm Warner down.

Warner also had words with South African captain Faf du Plessis in the stairwell confrontation as the teams went to their dressing rooms.

Warner on Sunday delivered a charged-up spray in the direction of Markham, de Villiers’ batting partner at the time of the midpitch mix up, after making a smart throw to Lyon that caught the Proteas No 4 short of his ground.

Lyon, skipping past a sprawled-out de Villiers after whipping off the bails at the nonstriker’s end, also appeared to then taunt the 34-year-old by dropping the ball right next to him as he raced to join Warner and the rest of the jubilant team.

Warner’s comments were not picked up on the host broadcaster’s stump

microphones but he and Lyon could potentially come under the microscope if match officials believe that they breached article 2.1.7 which relates to ‘‘using language‚ actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match’’.

‘‘There wasn’t too much aggression, I wouldn’t say,’’ Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine said of the celebration.

‘‘We spoke to Aiden about running out their best player and one of the best players in the world.

‘‘I think had someone had run [Steve Smith] out in our team you’d cop a fair bit of a ribbing. It was nothing aggressive.

‘‘It was just reminding him of what he had just done, trying to get him off his game, the same as they do to us. It didn’t work.’’

After going on to score 143 Markram said he was not concerned by what was said.

‘‘It’s natural when you play against the Australians that there’s a lot of chatter on the field,’’ Markram said.

‘‘It’s something that I certainly don’t mind, something that keeps me in the game and keeps me going, keeps me motivated.

‘‘And it never really gets out of line either ... not a lot of swearing or things like that happen.’’

Rabada was found guilty of a breach of the players’ code of conduct under section 2.1.7 and fined 15 per cent of his match fee last month for a send-off he gave Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan in a one-day international at Port Elizabeth.

Rabada had waved at Dhawan as he walked from the middle and fired a comment in his direction that on-field umpires Ian Gould and Shaun George deemed could have provoked a reaction.

Warner has a history of getting fired up in South Africa.

In the 2014 test series he was fined by the ICC for questioning whether then Proteas captain de Villiers had been ball tampering during a radio interview after the second test in Port Elizabeth.

In Cape Town for the third Test of that series he barked at Faf du Plessis after the batsman had described the aggressive Australians as like a ‘‘pack of dogs’’.