South Africa coach Ottis Gibson has called on umpires to take greater control of the second Test, suggesting they didn't do enough to clamp down on Australia's verbals in Durban.
Cricket between the Proteas and Australia is regularly intense, but relations have rarely been as strained as they are right now.
David Warner and Quinton de Kock's staircase stoush - and the words that preceded it - has driven a wedge between the rivals.
South Africa believe Warner attacked de Kock with personal sledging on the field at Kingsmead, while the tourists insist that is a lie.
An animated Gibson has now entered the war of words, imploring umpires to stop taking a laissez-faire approach in the second Test that starts in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
"The umpires need to stand up and take control of the game," he told reporters.
"If things are being said and if it's within ear shot ... surely the umpires can hear.
"If they hear things on the field they should clamp down on it. It becomes unfortunate when everybody else on the field hears stuff and the match officials say they don't hear anything.
"Unhappy might not be the right word, we just feel that the umpires are there to do a job and they must do their job.
"When they hear things, they must take charge and don't leave it to 'oh, we didn't cross the line'."
Gibson is referencing Australia's mantra to play aggressive cricket but never cross the line.
Marking out that line is notoriously easier said than done. England skipper Joe Root quipped in Adelaide during the recent Ashes "their line and our line are slightly different things".
"They're saying they didn't cross the line," Gibson said.
"But where is the line? Who sets the line? Where does the line come from?
"Who does the line belong to? Can you say whatever you want and then when something is said (by an opponent) it's offensive.
"You didn't tell us where the line was. Let's be clear where the line was. Let's be clear where the line is.
"We don't have a line because we try to just play cricket."
Gibson is yet to have a chat with counterpart Darren Lehmann about the second Test.
"I'm sure if he says it will happen then it will happen," he said.
The former West Indies paceman added he had no problem with aggression in a cricket game.
"If a fast bowler is bowling bouncers, to me that's aggression. When everybody else is chirping and sledging while a batter is trying to bat, I'm not sure that's aggression," he said.
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