Warner terms 'funny' mid-pitch tiff with Proteas gloveman as ' bit of friendly banter'

Controversial Australian cricketer David Warner has reportedly termed his mid-pitch altercation with South African wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile as 'a bit of friendly banter' on Twitter, ahead of the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford. ccording to the Sydney Morning Herald, Warner's near-double century score for Australia A against South Africa A in Pretoria has taken a back seat as he will fly out to Johannesburg following reports of an altercation with Tsolekile at Pretoria on Saturday in which the umpires had to separate the pair.

However, Warner did not seem worried that the incident may have taken away his Ashes chances for good this year after he tweeted that he had a lot of fun this week and had a bit of a friendly banter from the South African wicket keeper, which he called as 'funny'.

But a Cricket Australia spokesman said that match officials did not report the matter, which was said to have stemmed from Tsolekile's displeasure at words uttered from the field from Warner while the gloveman scored 159 on Friday.

According to the report, umpires intervened twice at the final day of the four-day 'unofficial Test', when Warner and Tsolekile engaged in a heated on-field argument, the second day in a row they had clashed, adding that on the second occasion South African batsman Vaugn van Jaarsveld pulled Tsolekile away from Warner.

Following that, the report said that the umpires, who stopped the game briefly, appealed for the pair to call off their run-in.

Warner was due to arrive in England on Monday, re-joining his Ashes squad mates when they assemble in Manchester ahead of the third Test starting on Thursday, the report added.