Vernon Philander claims he isn't responsible for an inflammatory tweet that suggested Steve Smith exaggerated contact from Kagiso Rabada in an attempt to have South Africa's spearhead penalised.
Rabada has been banned from the rest of the four-Test series, although the Proteas have lodged an appeal because they are desperate to have the world's top-ranked bowler on the park when the series continues in Cape Town next Thursday.
The sanction was triggered because Rabada earned three demerit points for making "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact" with Smith during a screaming send-off in the second Test.
There was a forthright message posted alongside a clip of the incident on Philander's verified Twitter account at approximately midnight on Wednesday (South African time).
"Havent (sic) really seen the fotage (sic) of this incident but by the looks of this...Steve Smith gave KG the shoulder," it noted.
"He could have avoided any contact but to me he is just as guilty. Trying some football skills to get a penalty??? Pity he didn't dive to top it off."
The paceman, who is regularly involved in on-field verbal stoushes whenever South Africa clash with Australia, claimed on Thursday morning his account was hacked.
"Someone posted a nice little article on my behalf. Sorry for all the drama or entertainment caused," he wrote on Twitter, deleting the previous message.
The tourists are unlikely to forget the social-media spray.
The spiteful series, level at 1-1, has been marred by a handful of ugly incidents. Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor has called on both teams to stop behaving so poorly.
"There's been too much of this in-your-face celebration when batsmen are dismissed, and the Australian bowlers have been as guilty as the South African bowlers at times," Taylor told the Nine Network.
"I'm not suggesting for a minute we have silence out in the middle, but there's no doubt it's getting worse.
"Bullying is not a bad term for it, and they're using it too much. It just keeps escalating and now it's getting out of hand."
Smith and Philander have history. They were involved in a mid-pitch collision during the infamous 2016 Test in Hobart, where Philander hit the deck and left the field in great pain but returned later in the day to help skittle the hosts for 85.
"I was busy appealing, I didn't have my highest focus on him and he basically jammed me with his elbow but he was obviously ball watching," Philander said at the time.
Philander, speaking to reporters after day one of the second Test, made light of Rabada's run-in with Smith.
"I don't even recall there being a send-off," he said.
"We are probably allowed to celebrate sometimes."
