PORT ELIZABETH: With relations between the teams already severely strained, two South African cricket officials have been photographed smiling with fans who were wearing masks designed to taunt Australia vice-captain David Warner.
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 international Sonny Bill Williams.
They are posing for the photo near a bar inside the St. George’s Park stadium. Eksteen and Kazi are wearing shirts and ties and their official cricket accreditations. Kazi has his arm around one of the fans.
Warner’s wife, Candice Warner, had a sexual encounter with Williams in a hotel toilet in Australia in 2007 before her relationship with the cricketer began. David and Candice Warner were married in 2015.
The masks, which Cricket South Africa labeled “distasteful” on Saturday when the picture became public, were being used by a small number of fans at the ground in Port Elizabeth to taunt Warner. He is currently 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.
While sports fans often engage in questionable behavior at stadiums, officials Eksteen, a former South Africa player, and Kazi are accused of condoning the taunting of Warner and his wife by South African supporters.
Candice Warner is with her husband on tour in South Africa and was at the ground on Friday with their two young daughters, according to Australian media, when the masks were being worn in the crowd.
“While CSA respects the rights of its fans to represent their own points of view, CSA does not associate itself with these actions and urges all ... supporters from refraining from being involved in distasteful or unwelcome actions that may impact the image of the sport and its supporters,” the South African cricket body said.
CSA said Eksteen and Kazi were now subject to “internal processes.” CSA president Chris Nenzani apologized to the Australian cricket board, the team management, players and their families for the incident.
Australian newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Australia team was “outraged” by the South African officials apparently condoning the masks. Candice Warner’s encounter with Williams was widely reported in the Australian media, which coined the phrase “toilet tryst” to refer to it.
Candice Warner gained recognition in Australia as an “Ironwoman” endurance athlete. She is also a model and celebrity TV star.
The mask saga in Port Elizabeth is the latest incident to overshadow the cricket contest between two of the leading teams in the world, a series which was expected to be fierce but has been undermined by verbal exchanges between players, off-field incidents, and resulting disciplinary cases.
The Warner and de Kock confrontation in the first test happened when de Kock, apparently frustrated at prolonged on-field verbal abuse from Warner, responded with a comment about Warner’s wife and the encounter with Williams. Warner then had to be restrained by teammates as he argued with de Kock on a staircase leading to the dressing rooms as players came off the field for a break.
That incident came to light after security camera footage of the players making their way back to the dressing rooms inside the stadium was leaked to the media.
Warner and de Kock were both fined and given disciplinary sanctions for the altercation. Australia’s Nathan Lyon also was punished for an over-zealous celebration of a wicket in that first test.
On Saturday, South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was charged for another breach of the disciplinary code for intentionally bumping into Australia captain Steve Smith on the field during day one on Friday.
Rabada denies the contact was intentional but faces being banned for the final two tests of the series if found guilty.
‘Distasteful’ masks mark the latest low point in South Africa-Australia Test series
‘Distasteful’ masks mark the latest low point in South Africa-Australia Test series
Freddy Schott wins maiden title after 3-way Bahrain Championship playoff
- The German beat Calum Hill and Patrick Reed after they all finished on 17-under after 72 holes
BAHRAIN: Freddy Schott won his first DP World Tour title after beating Calum Hill and Patrick Reed in a playoff at the 2026 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on Sunday.
The trio were locked together at 17-under par after 72 holes. This was after Reed shot 67 on Sunday to make up a four-shot overnight deficit to Hill, who began day two clear but had to settle for a 71 after a bogey. Schott carded 69 to join the pair.
Reed bogeyed the first playoff hole to drop out of contention and after Hill went out of bounds second time round, before sending his fourth shot into the water, he sportingly conceded without making Schott putt for the win.
Schott, who was presented with the trophy by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, said: “I have no idea. It’s just amazing, I’m just extremely happy, surprised ... I don’t know what’s happening right now. I’m just so happy.
“I could have done it the regular way, that would have also been fine. But to do it this way feels even more special so I’m just glad it happened this way.”
Hill, who equaled the course record of 61 in Friday’s second round, added to his two-shot overnight lead with an opening birdie after a superb approach, with Schott responding at the second before both players birdied the next.
The Scot was four clear after another gain at the fifth but bogeyed the sixth while Schott made birdie, cutting the lead to one before drawing level with a birdie at the next.
Schott bogeyed the eighth but led anyway as Hill made a double, and a birdie at the 10th took the German two ahead, only for a double-bogey of his own at the 11th to leave the pair all square again.
“It was tough, especially towards the end,” said Schott.
“The start was okay, because I was playing alright. It had good flow to it. Obviously, nerves kicked in from the back nine onwards. I was happy that I managed it okay, not perfect, but okay, and you guys saw what happened, so I’m very happy now.
Sergio Garcia had joined the leaders by that point after responding to an opening bogey with three birdies in four holes from the third and another three in succession from the ninth, as had Reed after his fifth gain of the day at the 12th.
Daniel Hillier carded six birdies in a blemish-free 66, his second six-under-par round of the week, to set the clubhouse target at 16-under as the leaders still on the course battled for supremacy.
Schott, Hill and Reed all reached 18-under with back-to-back birdies, Reed at the 13th and 14th with his rivals a hole behind.
Garcia’s challenge was left hanging by a thread after a double-bogey at the par-five 14th, as he eventually finished alongside Hillier on 16-under, and Reed dropped a shot at the 16th.
Schott and Hill missed the 17th green to the left before escaping with good chips, but while Hill holed his par putt, Schott made bogey.
Reed set a new clubhouse target of 17-under but when his birdie putt at the last agonizingly stayed up on the short side, Hill had a one-shot lead down the last.
But he sent his approach to the extreme left of the green, leaving a nasty putt up the slope by the side of the green which he was unable to get close. Schott was in similar territory but closer in, allowing him to save par while Hill made bogey to set up the playoff.
Reed found the bunker with his 73rd tee shot and went from there to the edge of another, with Schott and Hill both hitting the fairway and then the heart of the green.
Schott holed for par and despite a superb effort at his up-and-down, Reed was unable to respond and dropped out of contention. Hill held his nerve as he and Schott went back to the tee.
The Scot sent his next tee-shot out of bounds to the left, with Schott only just avoiding the water in response. He sent his approach right of the green but Hill found the water with his fourth and conceded after Schott chipped on.
Hill and Reed shared second with Garcia and Hillier fourth and France’s Ugo Coussaud a shot further back in sixth.
The championship provided invaluable experience for emerging golfers, with local players gaining exposure competing alongside Major champions and multiple DP World Tour winners.
Ahmed Alzayed, Ali Alkowari and Khalifa Almaraisi all teed it up at Royal Golf Club this week, with former Masters champions Garcia and Reed, and three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington.
While the cut proved elusive, the experience of competing at the highest level of professional golf will prove invaluable.
“The competition comes to an end, but it’s not the end for me, I think it’s just the beginning,” said Alkowari.
“I’m happy with the result this year. I played 20 shots better than last year, so there are improvements. Hopefully, if I’m playing next year, it will be even better. Who knows, maybe even making the cut.”
A record crowd of 13,186, a 30 percent increase on last year’s attendance, watched the action across the four days.
