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“I’ve made it very clear to David how disappointed I was, and am, with his comments”

Australia captain Michael Clarke has expressed his disappointment towards opening batsman David Warner’s comments about South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers tampering with the ball in order to allow the pace attack to get more reverse swing during the second Test in Port Elizabeth.

Warner was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for his remarks.

“I’ve made it very clear to David how disappointed I was, and am, with his comments,” Clarke said. “At the appropriate time I’ll certainly catch up with [South African captain] Graeme [Smith] and make it clear how I feel about it.”

However, Clarke added that the issue has been dealt with and the entire team have gone back to preparing for the decisive third and final Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

“Now it’s about playing cricket,” he said. “Once we step on the field I’ll back my teammates 100 percent. Davey’s no different. He’s a tough bugger, there’s no doubt about it, and he’ll love the challenge he faces when he walks out onto that ground.

“I’ve read and heard a number of the South Africans say how disappointed they were with him and I think he’s assuming he’s going to cop a bit of stick on the field. But that’s no different, he actually enjoys that.”