Squabble blights first test
Verbal fracas overshadows winning Australian performance against SA
WHEN all eyes should have been on Mitchell Starc pursuing a first test hattrick after dismembering the lower-order late on day four, the unsavoury verbal fracas between David Warner and Quinton de Kock overshadowed Australia’s 118-run win in the first test.
Light may have denied Australia the opportunity of wrapping up the game late on the fourth evening, but 22 balls sufficed to administer the last rites early yesterday morning.
Josh Hazlewood was the grim reaper and denied Starc a well-earned 10-wicket haul.
Australia won the big moments, Starc was the deserved man-of-the-match, but there was a tea interval incident where Australia’s pocket-rocket opener engaged in a verbal missive contest with South Africa’s wicket-keeper.
Decorum, it seemed, was flushed down the nearest cistern as tempers that frayed bubbled over onto the stairs as captain Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja had to restrain Warner.
The unseemly incident took the gloss off a routinely excellent Australian performance as far as opening tests go.
All statistics were dwarfed by the Warner/De Kock verbal altercation. The incident is with match referee Jeff Crowe, who has until 3pm today to make a ruling.
In the event of him not making a ruling, the International Cricket Council can take further steps through chief executive David Richardson.
At the end of the day, Australia’s first innings 351 was more than South Africa could manage and they responded with 162. The 189-run lead allowed Australia to bat with cautious aggression to set South Africa 417 to win.
A tilt at the second highest successful chase in test history was always going to be beyond South Africa’s ability, especially when Starc (5/34 and 4/74), Hazlewood (3/62 and 1/31) and Pat Cummins (1/47 and 1/47) reduced the hosts to 49/4 in the second innings.
There was also the AB de Villiers run-out and the subsequent Nathan Lyon celebration that has landed him in trouble with the ICC.
Lyon earned himself a level one charge and faces a two demerit point fine along with a match-fee deduction.
Australian test captain Steven Smith was firmly in Warner’s corner and said De Kock was responsible for the staircase altercation.
“I think what was said and done during the interval was regrettable on both sides. Obviously Quinton got quite personal and provoked an emotional response from David and I think those things are not on from both sides,” Smith said.
“You can’t be getting into someone’s personal life like that. That’s not on and that’s crossing the line.”
South Africa were distinctly second best and captain Faf du Plessis admitted as much. Du Plessis tried to be diplomatic about the incident but was also in his man’s corner.
“I wasn’t out there in the middle but I’m told there was a lot of personal stuff being said on the field. Who started it? I don’t know.
“If it was happening on the field, it should have been nipped in the bud on the field. The fact it spilled over off the field, that shouldn’t happen,” De Villiers said.
South Africa had highlights in Aiden Markram (143), De Kock (83) and Keshav Maharaj (5/123 and 4/102) but they were dwarfed by Australia’s all-round might and the staircase histrionics.
There is a lot that needs to be done ahead of Friday’s second test at St George’s Park.