David Warner regrets emotional outburst towards Quinton de Kock but says he will always stick up for his family
DAVID Warner has described the abuse he copped from Quinton de Kock about his wife as “vile and disgusting” and slammed the South African for trying to run from his comments.
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DAVID Warner has described the abuse he copped from Quinton de Kock about his wife as “vile and disgusting” and slammed the South African for trying to run from his comments.
The Australian vice-captain said he regretted his emotional outburst on the stairwell in Durban and while admitting he must learn from it, declared he would “always stick up for his family.”
Warner was captured on footage released by Fox Sports calling de Kock a “f---ing sook” as the players left the field, but is adamant he never referenced de Kock’s mother or sister or crossed any personal boundaries in his sledging of the wicketkeeper during the first Test.
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Asked if de Kock’s slur about his wife Candice Warner was the most upsetting thing he’d heard on a cricket field, the 31-year-old opened up for the first time why he exploded with anger and had to be restrained by teammates.
“I think you guys are well aware that I cop it left, right and centre, especially off the field from spectators. I am used to that and it doesn’t bother me,” Warner said.
“But in the proximity of my personal space and (from) behind me — a comment that was vile and disgusting and about my wife and just in general about a lady, was quite poor, I felt.
“ ... I can’t see anyone else making comments the way that he made them, which were outright disgusting. As I said, it’s a thing you wouldn’t say about any lady, especially someone’s wife.
“As I said, my emotional response, as you saw, was to something that I don’t believe should have been said.
“I will always stick up for my family.”
Newly revealed footage vividly shows the exact moment when Warner and de Kock’s back-and-forth cranks up a notch — with Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine forced to come between the pair.
Warner denies a physical altercation could have occurred if Paine wasn’t there.
“No not at all,” he said.
He also questioned de Kock’s character for not owning up to his actions.
“I just would have liked him to say the comment a little bit louder, instead of muttering it under his breath next to me and Tim Paine, and then walking up the stairs and saying ‘I didn’t say anything’ as soon as the rest of his teammates came out,” said Warner.
“At the end of the day, we’re all men, and if you’re going to say something, you look someone in the eye and say it.”
Warner has conceded that he should have handled himself better and refused to be drawn on de Kock’s decision to appeal the charge — a bid that failed at hearing.
The pair are still yet to speak.
“I’d take an appropriate stance and made sure that matters are taken off field away and spoken about in a quiet room and make sure we can deal with it that way,” he said.
“At the end of the day that’s up to him how he wants to respond. I’ve accepted that the way it was played out was regrettable.
“I’ve stated that, and hopefully in the future if I’m going to respond emotionally, I would try to do it in a more appropriate manner and walk upstairs.”
In the face of criticism saying that he is a repeat offender, Warner defended his record and said he is proud of the fact he hadn’t had any disciplinary trouble in the past three years.
Warner also came under scrutiny for his animated reaction to running out AB de Villiers, but said he was comfortable with how that footage came across.
LISTEN! On the latest CRICKET UNFILTERED podcast, Ben Horne has all the latest on “Stairwell-gate” and fiery atmosphere in South Africa and Ellyse Perry also joins the show.
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“You guys have seen the past 18-24 months how I conduct myself on the field. What happened the other day was not appropriate and I responded a tad emotionally,” he said.
“(In regards to the run-out), everyone is entitled to their own opinion. For me, it was a key moment in that game.
“The way we celebrate or other people celebrate should never be questioned, I don’t think. We were excited, it was a big moment in the game, he’s one of the best players to ever play the game and to get him out with a guy at the other end who hasn’t really played much Test match cricket, we’re going to celebrate those moments.”