David Warner fined for Quinton de Kock incident; free to play next Test

What's the story?

Australia's vice-captain David Warner has been fined 75% of his match fee for indulging in a confrontation with opposition wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock during the fourth day of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Durban. The 31-year-old was found guilty of a level two offence by the ICC and has decided not to contest the fine, though, he has been allowed to play the next match at Port Elizabeth.

In case you didn't know...

Following the afternoon session on Day four at Kingsmead, Warner and De Kock were involved in a heated exchange of words while walking back to their respective dressing rooms. The incident was caught on the camera and the video clearly showed Warner verbally attacking De Kock while being dragged back by his teammates Usman Khawaja and captain Steven Smith.

The Australian opener had also been accused of celebrating wildly after running out AB de Villiers for a duck on the same morning. The same incident saw Nathan Lyon attract ICC's attention as well for dropping the ball on an outstretched De Villiers, who had desperately dived to save his wicket.

The heart of the matter

Alongside a fine, Warner has also been handed three demerit points by the match referee Jeff Crowe, meaning that he is only a single demerit point away from facing suspension in the future. He was docked A$13,500 while De Kock was given one demerit point for his behaviour, which the South Africa team management might probably challenge, considering their continued stance of Warner getting personal with him while he was at the crease.

What's next?

The second Test of the highly competitive series begins on March 9 at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth with the visitors 1-0 up the four-match series.

Author's Take

Considering the history of Warner's on-field disciplinary issues, it was important that he be given a clear warning to not repeat such offences, and now with the fear of suspension looming on his head, we may finally see a calmer Warner on the field.