South Africa apologise to Australia on Sonny Bill Williams mask incident
- by Leland Aguilar
- in Entertaiment
- — Mar 13, 2018
Cricket Australia could seek to bring charges under the International Cricket Council code of conduct after South African officials were photographed posing with spectators wearing Sonny Bill Williams masks aimed at taunting David Warner during the second Test in Port Elizabeth.
Warner's wife was involved in a tryst with New Zealand rugby player Sonny Bill Williams over 10 years ago.
He is now a figure of hate in South Africa after his confrontation with South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock in a fractious first test in Durban last weekend.
The photograph, taken on the first day of the second test in Port Elizabeth on Friday, shows Cricket South Africa's commercial and marketing head, Clive Eksteen, and communications head Altaaf Kazi standing and smiling with three men wearing masks with the face of New Zealand rugby worldwide Sonny Bill Williams.
It didn't seem to throw Warner off too much, however, as he top-scored for Australia with 63 as the Aussies reached 243 all out on the first day of the second Test.
Umpires have repeatedly pulled up both Australia and the Proteas about their sloppy bounce returns, while Warner was fined in 2014 after accusing AB de Villiers of using his keeping glove to wipe the rough side of the ball.
Clive Eksteen, a former left-arm spinner and CSA's head of commercial, and Altaaf Kazi, CSA's head of media and communication, are the men in question.
Kazi and Eksteen were then contacted by the fans and met them at the gates, where it was decided that they would be allowed in.
The Proteas supporters wore those masks in a bid to rile up Warner. "They wanted to come with them. We're very clear from a stadium perspective that we monitor the behaviour and language of fans".
The statement urged South African supporters to refrain from "being involved in distasteful or unwelcome actions that may impact the image of the sport and its supporters".
Australian players and officials are reportedly outraged about the photo.
On Saturday morning, CSA distanced itself from Friday's events and said that it would follow "normal internal processes" in investigating the actions of Eksteen and Kazi.
