Tim Paine has followed in the footsteps of Adam Gilchrist as Australian cricketers turned ambush marketers, unhappy with how the stump microphones are being used in Durban.
Cricket broadcasters around the world are supposed to turn mics down between deliveries but it often doesn't happen, particularly in South Africa.
Captain Steve Smith has made it clear in the past he is a big believer of the mantra that "what's said on the field should stay on the field".
Smith's teammates agree. Some privately complain that sledging and swearing is often punished by the International Cricket Council based largely on whether it is broadcast or not.
Gilchrist's solution to the problem in 2006 was to give his team's sponsors some free on-air advertising, knowing it would frustrate television executives and local sponsors.
Paine and teammates borrowed a page from Gilchrist's playbook and staged a not-so-silent protest on day two of the first Test in Durban on Friday.
"Well done! Earning yourself a XXXX, it's the best beer in the world," Paine encouraged from behind the stumps.
Qantas was also given some free plugs by the tourists, who declared their love of the Australian airline while cheekily chatting with umpires.
The International Cricket Council and Emirates, who has sponsored the sport's elite panel of umpires since 2002, are unlikely to be pleased.
SuperSport, the host broadcaster of the series, is in control of the volume of mics.
A range of Australian verbals were aired during South Africa's first innings, but none of it was untoward.
David Warner needled Quinton de Kock that he just wanted to play Twenty20, while Australia's vice-captain wasn't worried when AB de Villiers passed 50.
"We know what his conversion rate is like," Warner said, referencing the fact de Villiers has 43 half-centuries and 21 centuries at Test level.
Warner was also vocal when youngster Theunis de Bruyn was at the crease, reminding the recalled batsman he was "playing with the big boys now".
De Villiers laughed that Australia's chirp was "very friendly compared to last time", having previously described their barbs in a heated 2014 series as the worst sledging he's ever witnessed.
"It's the usual stuff. We expect some verbal stuff out there when you're playing cricket," he said.
"It gets the juices flowing. I particularly enjoy it.
"We also get stuck in and try and unsettle the batters. It's part of the game."
Mitch Marsh played down his side's antics after play.
"I wouldn't say it was a protest ... it was a bit of a joke to give the sponsors a bit of a plug," Marsh said.
"The stump mics really for us players on the field are irrelevant."
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