Warner's view on airport stoush

Australia vice-captain David Warner has indicated he would be “disappointed” if members of his team were involved in the sort of airport confrontation that has landed South Africa on the front and back pages of newspapers around the nation.

Just hours before the Proteas captain Faf du Plessis was to face a hearing over allegations he applied an artificial substance to the ball during the recent Test match in Hobart, Warner was asked for his view on the previous day’s fracas.

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When a television journalist attempted to question du Plessis after he arrived on a flight from Melbourne and the reporter was buffeted by accompanying South African team security personnel.

And later accused by South Africa’s team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee of “aggressively harassing our players” and proceeding to “lunge towards Faf with an unknown object (microphone) causing a direct breach of security protocol”.

The incident stemmed from the ICC’s decision to charge du Plessis, who was shown on video to be rubbing saliva on the ball while sucking on a sweet, under Article 2.2.9 of the game’s Code of Conduct.

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Which dictates it is an offence “to alter the condition of the ball” by means deemed to be “unfair” which include “applying an artificial substance to the ball”.

With the South Africa captain to front Zimbabwean match referee Andy Pycroft in Adelaide this afternoon to learn of the penalty, if any, that awaits.

Warner steered clear of commenting directly on the allegation of ball tampering levelled against du Plessis, but pointed out that the unsavoury airport scuffle was not something he would like to see replicated by his own touring party.

“I won't comment on the way they've been behaving,” Warner said ahead of Australia’s training session at Adelaide Oval today.

“I just know from an Australian cricket perspective we hold our heads high and I'd be very disappointed if one of our team members did that, and how they're reacting.

“For us it's about controlling what we can do, and that's playing the best cricket we can and let them worry about what they're doing.”

Warner, who was fined 15 per cent of his match fee during the previous Test series between the rival nations in South Africa in 2014 for airing unproved claims that the Proteas were deliberately altering the condition of the ball, wouldn’t be drawn on whether sugar-laden saliva can impact on the way a cricket ball behaves.

Instead claiming that the visitors’ superiority in all facets of the game was the true reason they hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Commonwealth Bank Test Series.

“I don't know. I'm not sure,” Warner said when asked about the science of sweets when polishing the ball.

“At the end of the day we've been outplayed, out-bowled, out-batted, out-fielded in this game.

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“Whether or not he (du Plessis) was putting anything on the ball it's irrelevant.

“(But) the rules are in place for a reason, and if you’re not going to use them then why bother having them.

“That’s just the fortunate thing these days, they’ve got the rules and they’re going to stand by their decisions.

“I think that’s a good thing.

“We’ve all been on the back end of them from time to time and now that they’re cracking down on it, especially with the points system (that players accumulate for breaching the Code of Conduct).

“We, as players, know the guidelines now so if you’re going to overstep that mark and get fined be prepared to miss Test matches as well.”

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