No stranger to David Warner's temper, England batsman Joe Root has backed Kiwi great Martin Crowe's call for a soccer-like card system for misbehaviour following the Australian batsman's latest on-field spat.
However, Root disagrees with Crowe's claim that it is only a matter of time before someone throws a punch on-field - despite being on the receiving end of Warner's fist ahead of the 2013 Ashes.
Despite their history, Root said he took no delight in Warner being fined 50 per cent of his match fee after a heated verbal altercation with Rohit Sharma during Australia's four-wicket win on Sunday night at the MCG.
It followed Warner's fine for a confrontation with India's Shikhar Dhawan during the first Test in Adelaide.
But Root supported Crowe's proposed yellow card system to deal with what the legendary New Zealand batsman termed "thuggish behaviour" by Warner.
"Let's demand that if any cricketer gets two yellow cards during a six-month period then they are out for six months following," Crowe wrote in his ESPNCricinfo online column.
"It's the only way to kill a hornet's nest and get this game back in a groove of respect."
Root could see the benefits ahead of Tuesday's one-day clash with India in Brisbane.
"At the minute people aren't happy with the way people are holding themselves on the field and if that is going to sort it out then why not?," he said.
However, Root could not fathom Crowe's observation that fisticuffs may be inevitable in the game if current behaviour was not addressed.
"I can't to be honest. Someone would have to be in a really bad place to do that," he said.
"There have been a few things that have happened over the last six months and that is not good for the game.
"But I can't really see it going that far to lead to a punch-up - it's not ice hockey."
While he admitted there was no place for a player determined to cause on-field friction, Root hoped teams could still see the line in the sand.
"You are out there to either score runs or take wickets - if that is not your main focus then you are not doing your team a full service," he said.
"It's about mutual respect for each other.
On Tuesday, England and India will be out to recover from opening losses to Australia in the triangular one-day series.
"With the World Cup around the corner this is a massive series for us so we need to bounce back," Root said.
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