Durban Test an aberration – CA tells players to behave

After the first Test was overshadowed by an ugly incident, Cricket Australia reminded its players to behave against South Africa.

Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland is confident the events of the first Test against South Africa were an "aberration".

Australia batsman David Warner and South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock were charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after their confrontation on day four of the Test in Durban.

The tourists claimed a 118-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series, but the victory has been overshadowed by the incident involving Warner and De Kock.

In a statement released before the second Test starts on Friday, Sutherland said players knew what was expected of them.

"CA has reminded the team of the standards of behaviour expected of players representing Australia," he said.

"Those standards are spelled out in the ICC Code of Conduct and also the Preamble to the Laws of Cricket. As the Preamble states, cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws, but also within the Spirit of the Game.

"This includes the need to be respectful of opponents, and CA expects this to be observed by players at all times. Unfortunately, neither team met this standard in Durban. The Australian team understands that fans expect better.

"Australia has always prided itself on taking a highly competitive approach to international cricket. This will not change, however CA is confident that what occurred in Durban will remain an aberration.

"Under the period of the current team leadership, Australian players have received fewer sanctions under the ICC Code of Conduct than players from the majority of the nine top-ranked Test playing nations.

"CA is confident that the rest of the series in South Africa will be remembered for enthralling cricket played in the right spirit by both teams."