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De Kock to fight charge at hearing after Warner accepts fine
Port Elizabeth: South Africa's Quinton de Kock is contesting a charge levelled at him following his first Test altercation with David Warner and will front a hearing here on Wednesday night.
Warner has been fined about $13,500 after accepting a charge that he brought the game into disrepute in his stairwell run-in with de Kock in the tea break on the fourth afternoon at Kingsmead.
Australian vice-captain David Warner confronts South Africa's Quinton de Kock at Kingsmead.
Photo: AAPThe Australian vice-captain avoided suspension from the second Test, starting at St George's Park on Friday, and for the next two years will be only another minor offence away from incurring a ban.
While Warner received a level-two charge for breaching the players' code of conduct, de Kock was judged to have committed a less serious level-one offence.
However, the Proteas wicketkeeper has opted to fight the charge before match referee Jeff Crowe.
The Australians claim Warner exploded in anger after de Kock made a disparaging remark about his wife, Candice.
It is understood that Warner and Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who has confirmed he heard what de Kock said to the opener, will not have to appear at the hearing.
Warner was technically in danger of being suspended here in Port Elizabeth, with a level-two offence equating to three or four demerit points in the ICC's punishment system.
A tally of four points in a two-year period results in a ban from one Test or two one-day internationals, depending on when the offence is committed, but he sidestepped that penalty to only have three points pencilled in next to his name.
Warner was fined 75 per cent of his match fee fr0m the first Test.
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell believed a suspension would be a better deterrent and not only for Warner.
“You need to stamp it out from the top down,” Chappell told Channel 9.
“But Warner gets the suspension, and while he’s responsible for his own actions and words, he’s being allowed to do it by people above him. I’d like to see those above him suspended for sanctioning it.
“If you start taking strong action like that then you’ll get some sanity.
“It’s always the same. The players pay the penalty for the stupidity of those above. Warner is being encouraged to be the attack dog.
“The laws of the game state the captain is responsible for the on-field actions of his players, so if Steve Smith is not stepping in he’s just as culpable.”
The Australians trained on Wednesday without coach Darren Lehmann present after he fell ill with gastro.
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