Warner restrained after alleged De Kock barb about wife

Cape Town - The reason for the first Test bust-up between Australian opener David Warner and Proteas 'keeper Quinton de Kock is reported to be due to personal barbs the SA star made regarding Warner's wife, according to the cricket.com.au website.

Scoreboard: Australia win 1st Test by 118 runs

While Australia won the first Test in Durban by 118 runs on Monday morning, the Warner-De Kock row on Day 4 hogged the headlines.

CCTV footage from the stairwell as the players headed for their changing rooms at the tea break showed Warner hurling abuse in the direction of De Kock.

Warner had to be physically restrained by team-mates, while the fiery opener also had words with Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis.

Both Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have said the matter is now in the hands of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

CSA also suggested the incident was "not in the spirit of the game".

Warner is no stranger to controversy - both on and off the field - having had an altercation with England's Joe Root at a Walkabout bar in Birmingham nearly five years ago, as well as run-ins with SA's Thami Tsolokile in a SA 'A' v Australia 'A' match, India's Rohit Sharma and England's SA-born batsman, Jonathan Trott.

Australian skipper Steve Smith alluded to the personal nature of De Kock's comments in his post-Test press conference.

Warner's wife, Candice, is an Australian professional triathlete, surf life saver and model.

Prior to her marriage to Warner in April 2015, she had high profile relationships with NRL star Braith Anasta, rugby union player Matt Henjak, Aussie Rules star Brent Staker, footballers Anderson and David Carney and tennis player Marcos Baghdatis. She was also in a brief relationship with British comedian David Walliams. 

She is perhaps most infamous for her "toilet tryst" with All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams at a Sydney hotel in 2007 which was captured on a mobile phone camera.

The Warners have two daughters.

Regardless of any action taken by the ICC, the spat is bound to spice up the remainder of the Test series which continues with the second Test at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, starting on Friday, March 9.

@davidwarner31 and @QuinnyDeKock69 Verbal Exchange during Tea Break. #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/6Rr4Xkx2lQ

— Thakur (@ThakurHassam) March 4, 2018