Former South Africa cricket stars have accused Australia of whingeing and hypocrisy after the tourists lodged a formal complaint over "disgraceful" crowd behaviour in Cape Town.
The four-Test series between Australia and South Africa continues to careen from controversy to controversy, with the ongoing match delivering more ugliness that will test the relationship between the respective cricket boards.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann teed off while speaking to reporters at Newlands, where David Warner was subject to personal abuse when he walked off the ground after being dismissed on day two.
The man who sprayed Warner is among 12 fans to be evicted from the Test for offensive behaviour.
Most of it has been abuse about players' wives and families, not all of it directed at Warner.
Cricket Australia (CA) chairman David Peever is in Cape Town and has taken the matter up with Cricket South Africa (CSA), urging the locals to adopt his organisation's zero-tolerance approach.
"We are extremely disappointed that a small number of fans have directed such offensive and inappropriate behaviour towards our players and members of their families," CA chief executive James Sutherland said.
Lehmann, who has been involved with the sport as either a player, commentator or coach for 30 years, has never heard crowd behaviour get so vile anywhere else in the world.
Former Proteas captain Graeme Smith and keeper Mark Boucher suggested Lehmann has a selective memory.
"Start cleaning up your own country first! The personal, racial abuse I've witnessed in Aus was ridiculous. U guys don't live in a glass house! Why the fuss all of a sudden? Seems fine when the shoe is on the other foot," Boucher posted on Twitter.
Smith made it clear he didn't condone the behaviour but added he has "never seen an Aussie team whinge and whine like this".
Lehmann, when asked about an incident of racial abuse levelled at Hashim Amla in Hobart during 2016, made it clear that was "not good enough from an Australian crowd point of view."
"We've just got to get better at watching the game of cricket, actually supporting both teams," Lehmann said.
"That's something that both boards have got to get around.
"Having a go at someone's family - it's just disgraceful."
The fan at Bellerive was banned for three years from all cricket matches in Australia, with CA referring the matter to police.
"We acknowledge that CSA is taking steps to ensure incidents like those yesterday are not repeated and we have encouraged the strongest possible action," Sutherland said in a statement.
"People who behave in such a manner should not be welcome at cricket grounds anywhere in the world."
CSA was also in damage control earlier this month after a photograph emerged of Clive Eksteen and Altaaf Kazi, two high-ranking CSA officials, posing with fans wearing Sonny Bill Williams masks at the second Test.
Warner's wife Candice had a tryst more than 10 years ago with Williams.
Warner's staircase stoush with Quinton de Kock in Durban also tested both boards' diplomatic skills.
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