Gibson: ‘Who sets the line?’

“Quinny wouldn’t have said anything if something wasn’t said to him first in the first place"

Ottis Gibson says South Africa are backing Quinton de Kock in relation to the confrontation with Australia’s David Warner, because they believe the wicketkeeper-batsman “didn’t do anything”.

De Kock's level-one offence charge has been upheld at a hearing, he has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee.

At a press conference, Gibson said: “We’re appealing the level one because we believe Quinny didn’t do anything.

"Quinny wasn’t aggressive. You saw some footage and the footage showed Quinny walking up the stairs and somebody else [Warner] being restrained, and then Quinny gets a level one, that didn’t seem fair.

"Quinny wouldn’t have said anything if something wasn’t said to him first in the first place. I wasn’t out there, Faf [du Plessis] was there, he would probably know what was said.

"You have all seen the footage. If I’m walking up the stairs and someone else is being restrained, how can you fine me for something?"

Gibson’s opposite number, Darren Lehmann, has backed his own player but acknowledged that “we’ve just got to make sure we don’t cross the line, that’s the key."

The South Africa coach, however, has questioned the elusive ‘line’ that is not to be crossed when it comes to on-field verbals.

^{“Quinny wasn’t aggressive"}

"They say they didn’t cross the line, but where is the line? Who sets the line? Where does the line come from? So when you say, “we didn’t cross the line”, you said stuff but you never crossed the line. You went very close but you never crossed it. Whose line is it? Our line? We don’t have a line. We try to just play cricket."

Furthermore Gibson has echoed Ian Chappell’s comments stating that match officials need to do more to control players’ actions.

"The match officials and the ICC, they govern the game, and the umpires on the field must take charge of the game. 

"If things are being said and it’s within earshot of the player who is standing at point or wherever he is fielding, surely the umpires can hear. So maybe umpires must stand up and take control of the game.

"Am I telling my players not to talk? I’m telling them not to focus on talk. But again if I keep poking at you all the time, I’m sure you will respond as well."