At no stage was Quinton's family mentioned, says Aussie keeper Tim Paine

Sledging had always been something that the men from down under have been known for. Be it the infamous Merv Hughes or the highly volatile Andrew Symonds, the Aussies have been in and out of tabloids regarding their notorious acts on and off the pitch, the most recent one being the spat between Australian Test vice-captain David Warner and South African wicket-keeper Quinton De Kock on day four of the first Test in Durban.

After varying reports on the incident from both parties involved, South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee said on Monday that Warner had engaged in a personal verbal attack against De Kock during the match which apparently involved the latter’s family members.

But Australian wicket-keeper Tim Paine was quick to dismiss these claims as ‘100% false’ as he backed Warner to assert that no one mentioned Quinton’s family at all.

"That's completely false. At no stage was Quinton's family mentioned, that's 100 percent false.I don't know how their team manager can hear from where he's sitting but from where I was, which was right near the whole time, there was nothing we said that was inappropriate," Paine told reporters as per Reuters sources.

As per CCTV footage, Warner could be seen being restrained by teammates as he launched a verbal attack on De Kock as the teams left the field for tea on Sunday's fourth day. According to local media reports Quinton just responded to Warner’s sledging with a comment about the opener's wife.

The Australian vice-captain has been charged with a Level 2 offence by the ICC, which could see him miss the second test in Port Elizabeth that starts on Friday. On the other hand, De Kock faces a Level 1 charge, which carries the maximum sanction of a fine.

"Our stuff is the way we've always played our cricket. Certainly it's hard, and we like to make them feel uncomfortable out there. But we don't cross the line and bring people's wives and family into the cricket game. And we'll continue to do that for as long as we play," added Paine.