South African cricket fans will wear SBW masks at the second test in Port Elizabeth in an attempt to get under Australian batsman David Warner's skin. Photo / Twitter
South African cricket fans will wear SBW masks at the second test in Port Elizabeth in an attempt to get under Australian batsman David Warner's skin. Photo / Twitter
South African and Australian players may have agreed to a ceasefire ahead of the second cricket test in Port Elizabeth - but fans at St George's Park clearly didn't get the memo.
Captains Faf du Plessis and Steve Smith reportedly met yesterday for "clear the air" talks, following the controversialincident in the first test in Durban that saw David Warner and Quinton de Kock handed hefty fines.
Sport24 reported the captains agreed to avoid the conflict that led to Warner and De Kock nearly coming to blows on a staircase on day four of the match at Kingsmead.
Warner was fined $13,500 and handed three demerit points for a rage-fuelled rampage directed at the South African wicketkeeper after what he claims were "vile and disgusting" comments toward his wife, Candice.
This means Warner will essentially be on his final warning for the next two years, with even a minor misdeed to trigger an automatic suspension.
Although the exact comments haven't been confirmed, South African media have reported it was in reference to Candice Warner's infamous drunken toilet cubicle encounter with All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams in a Sydney hotel in 2007.
A cellphone photo of the pair in a compromising position, taken by a witness reaching under the cubicle, was posted online and made headlines around the world.
Quinton de Kock and David Warner were both fined for their part in the Kingsmead bust-up. Photo / Getty
Speaking before the meeting, which happened between the pre-match press conferences by both captains, Du Plessis said the captains needed to "make sure that things don't get to the stage that they got to in the previous game".
But the Afrikaans website netwerk24 reported on Friday fans were already making and distributing thousands of SBW masks to try and get under Warner's skin.
Banners with messages aimed at Warner were also being painted, while the famous St Georges Park brass band could fire up songs about the "SBW affair".
Sports presenter Dan Nicholl tweeted images of some of these fans "at work".
Eastern Cape has always had a sense of humour: fans getting Sonny Bill masks ready for day one of the second Test in Port Elizabeth. pic.twitter.com/jXU0cEBwfE
If i remember correctly part of the rules entering the stadium, nothing offensive towards the players will be allowed in. Don't be idiots, remember that these actions not only affect him but his wife and SBW wife too. This is really in poor taste.Going overboard.
— 🏴2019🏆We hit more Boundaries than NZ (@BackOnYourTL) March 8, 2018
The second test at the 19,000-capacity ground starts at 9pm on Friday (NZT).
Australia won the Durban test by 118 runs.
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