David Warner breaks silence over ‘vile, disgusting’ Quinton de Kock jibe

David Warner has slammed as “vile and disgusting’’ Quinton de Kock’s jibes about his wife Candice.

UPDATE: David Warner has broken his silence about the incidents on the field in the first Test and labelled the attack on his wife by South African player Quinton de Kock “vile and disgusting”.

The opener, who received a large fine and will be banned from playing if he transgresses at any time over the next two years, admits he reacted emotionally and has to try and control himself better if people use the same tactic the wicketkeeper used to upset him.

Warner says, however, that he will not change the way he plays as a result of the charges.

“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,” he said.

“You 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, but I think I’ve been fantastic the last 18-24 months. I’ve played with aggression. It’s just the cameras haven’t been on me for the last two years.”

Warner has not been in trouble from match officials since an exchange during the World Cup in 2015 and was so quiet the team had to request him to be more verbal on the field.

Coach and captain encourage his aggressive approach.

Warner has his wife Candice and two daughters with him in South Africa and is the only player travelling with his family. The opener says the trio keep him grounded.

The Australian claims there are clearly defined limits when attempting to get under the skin of opposition players.

“Well, I’ve always felt that when it comes to family or racism comments or anything like that, that’s just a no-go zone,” he said. “I’ve been called everything under the sun out the field and that, quite frankly, doesn’t bother me.

“The other day I was probably out of line. I’ve seen the footage and I regret the way it played out but for me — it is how I am and I responded emotionally and regretted the way I played out. But I’ll always stick up for my family.

“I cop it left, right and centre, especially off the field from spectators. I am used to that and it doesn’t bother me. But in the proximity of my personal space and 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, and as I said my emotional response, you saw, was just to something that I don’t believe should have been said. And as I said, I will always stick up for my family. ”

David Warner and wife Candice arrive in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with their children from Durban.

Warner was fined 75 per cent of his match fee and received three demerit points — one below a suspension — for his his emotional response to de Kock in the stairwell on day four.

He was also widely criticised for his celebration when he ran out AB de Villiers, but the umpires did not mention this after the match and apparently had no issue with it.

Many believe it was a “bad look”, but Warner defended himself.

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” he said. “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 every 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.

“I play with aggression on the field and I try not to cross that line and it has been in the past that I have sort of been fiery, but I don’t think whatsoever there on the field that I have ever crossed that line. But that’s how I play my cricket, I live by the sword and die by the sword, so I’ll keep playing with that energy and making sure I am the voice in the team to keep our guys motivated on the field, that’s for sure.”

The moment Warner explodes

The missing section of the CCTV footage from the Kingsmead ground shows David Warner’s instant reaction as something is said by Quinton de Kock.

A South African media outlet was leaked a damning section of footage from later in the incident that showed an incensed Warner being shoved into the dressing rooms by teammates as he yelled at the wicketkeeper.

The local newspaper was not given this section, which captures the start of the incident. It clearly shows the umpires nearby as the incident unfolds.

The pair had been seen walking from the ground together by broadcaster’s cameras and The Australian was heard to call de Kock a “f..king sook”.

It is unclear what happens in the moments after that, but in the moment captured on this new footage the batsman is said to have responded by making disparaging remarks about Warner’s wife.

Warner, who was slightly ahead of de Kock, turns back but is restrained by Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who pushed between the pair at the moment the exchange occurs.

“I think I was probably the only person that heard it,” Paine said. “Usman had gone a bit further ahead and I was about to walk around them both. I just thought they were still going on just from the general chatter that was on the ground and as I went past de Kock he said what he said and luckily I suppose I was there in between.”

Warner was fined 75 per cent of his match fee and faces a ban if he transgresses again. De Kock received a lesser penalty. The South African appealed against the charge of breaching the Code of Conduct but his claim was rejected by match referee Jeff Crowe.

The South African wicketkeeper had pleaded provocation as a defence against the charge of bringing the game into disrepute.

He was fined 25 per cent of his match fee and earned one demerit point. De Kock, who is said to have made comments about David Warner’s wife, Candice, wanted the fine reduced.

Crowe upheld the charge and the penalty remains.

Warner reacted furiously to the comments, yelling at the South African as they walked up the stairs and was pushed into the dressing room by team mates.

Warner accepted his penalty yesterday, but South African coach Ottis Gibson insisted that de Kock’s charge was unjust.

“We’re appealing the Level 1 because we think that Quinny didn’t do anything,” he said. “Quinny wasn’t aggressive, I think you saw some footage and the footage showed Quinny walking up the stairs and somebody else being restrained and then Quinny gets a Level 1. That didn’t seem fair.

“What is the case is that Quinny would not have said anything had something not been said to him in the first place. I wasn’t out there, Faf was there. Faf probably knows what was said, but the fact is there’s one guy walking up the stairs — you’ve all seen the footage. There’s one guy walking up the stairs going back to his dressing room, there’s another guy having to be restrained. If I’m walking trying to get to my dressing room and somebody is being restrained how can you fine me for something?

Gibson said that he could not guarantee de Kock did not mention Candice Warner.

“No I can’t, I wasn’t there. I can’t speak for another person. So I don’t know what was said,” he said

“There’s this thing and I’ve seen it recently now about the line. They’re saying they didn’t cross the line, but where is the line? Who sets the line? Where does the line come from? So when you say you didn’t cross the line, you were saying stuff but ‘oh no, we didn’t cross the line — we went very close to the line but we didn’t cross the line’. Whose line is it?”

There will be an attempt to distract attention from the hysteria when the second Test begins in Port Elizabeth on Friday. Australia leads the series 1-0, but South Africa appear to have a slight edge before the judiciary.