Australian opener David Warner become a target for attention again on Friday when he was seen engaged into a verbal duel with a South African spectator after being dismissed for 30 on the second day of the third Test in Cape Town. After losing his wicket to South Africa national cricket team pacer Kagiso Rabada, D. Warner confronted a spectator, who walked up to him directing comments as he left the field after being dismissed.
The video shows Warner stopping in his tracks and turning to face the man, who then appears to continue making comments as Warner walks up the stairs toward the team dressing room at Newlands.
A security official tried to intervene but the man kept on going at Warner.
After facing the man for a few moments, Warner continued up the stairs.
The man, who was thrown out of the ground, was standing beside a small fence which separates an exclusive members' stand from the players' stairs. As Warner went up the stairs on his side, the middle-aged man, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, jeans and sunglasses, also walked up on his side and continued talking.
The fan had started by applauding Warner, sarcastically it seems, as the Australian approached. He then became abusive.
Warner, a notoriously pugnacious player, has become a target for extra attention from home fans after his confrontation with South Africa's Quinton de Kock on a stadium staircase during the first test in Durban.
That heated argument, which led to ICC disciplinary hearings and sanctions for both players, was sparked by Warner's prolonged on-field taunting of de Kock. It resulted in de Kock allegedly retorting with an unsavory comment about Warner's celebrity wife, and Warner having to be physically restrained by teammates.
Fans also attempted to taunt Warner during the second test in Port Elizabeth by wearing masks with the face of New Zealand rugby player Sonny Bill Williams. It was in reference to a sexual encounter Warner's wife had with Williams years before she married the cricketer. Warner's wife, Candice Warner, and their two young daughters are traveling with him in South Africa.
The mask stunt had repercussions for South Africa's cricket body when two of its senior officials were photographed smiling with some of the fans wearing the masks. The two officials were suspended and face disciplinary procedures.
(With AP inputs)
