Quentin de Kock Fined. WATCH New Zealanders’ Hilarious Take on Warner Incident

While South African cricketer Quinton de Kock has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa in Durban, and may not be too popular in Australia right now, it looks like he has some fans in New Zealand…

Watch New Zealand commentators’ take on the De Kock / Warner incident: 

https://www.facebook.com/CrowdGoesWild/videos/10156108032948764/

The announcement of De Kock’s fine was made after a disciplinary hearing conducted on Wednesday evening.

The ICC said in a media release that De Kock was found to have breached Article 2.1.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “conduct that brings the game into disrepute”, following an altercation with Australia vice-captain David Warner on Sunday near the team dressing rooms, which was captured on CCTV.

In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to de Kock’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence since the introduction of the revised Code in September 2016.

Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees announced the decision after conducting a disciplinary hearing with de Kock, who had admitted the offence but had appealed against the proposed sanction.

Earlier, Warner was fined 75 per cent of his match fee and also handed three demerit points for his involvement in the incident.

Proteas head coach, Ottis Gibson, said today that the South African squad remains focused on the cricket ahead of the second Sunfoil Test match against Australia, despite ongoing off-field distractions.

Gibson says the squad is in good spirits despite the disappointing 118-run loss in the first Test in Durban and is motivated to put in a series-levelling performance in the second Test.

“The team morale is very good,” he said to the media in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. “ We are the Proteas, we back each other up. We are trying to focus on ourselves and to focus on the cricket…

“Everyone is looking forward to the cricket, all the off-field stuff must remain off the field. We want to get back to the cricket.”

David Warner has meanwhile broken his silence on the incident. He told Australian reporters that de Kock’s comment about his wife, Candice Falzon, was “vile”.

He said: “I cop it left, right and centre, especially off the field from spectators and I’m used to that and it doesn’t bother me. But in a proximity of my personal space and from behind me, a comment that was vile and disgusting about my wife, and in general about a lady, was quite poor, I felt.

“My emotional response was just something that I don’t believe should have been said and I’ll always stick up for my family and in that case my teammates as well.”

He also criticised De Kock for being “cowardly” and by “muttering it under his breath” and then claiming “I didn’t say anything”. Warner said: “At the end of the day, we’re all men and if you’re going to say something you look at someone in the eye and say it.”

Warner denied making any comments about De Kock’s sister.

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