Stokes was shown on television directing a slew of expletives toward a spectator in the crowd as he walked back to the dressing room after being dismissed by Anrich Nortje for 2.

Soon after the incident, Sky Sports apologised to the viewers about Stokes’ outburst.

https://twitter.com/benstokes38/status/1220783147387949056

Stokes admitted his mistake in a Twitter post and stated that his extreme reaction was unprofessional on his part. “I wish to apologise for my language that was heard on the live broadcast today for my dismissal,” he wrote. “I shouldn’t have reacted in that way.”

The 28-year-old explained his reaction, stating he was subjected to “repeated abuse from the crowd.”

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[caption id=”attachment_135895″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] The incident took place when Ben Stokes was walking back to the dressing room after being dismissed by Nortje[/caption]

“It is disappointing that a member of the public has gone out of their way to abuse Ben as he was leaving the field. Ben is fully aware he should not have reacted in the way that he did and apologises for his actions,” Ashley Giles, the England managing director of cricket said at the close of play.

“In addition to this incident, members of our support staff were subjected to personal abuse during and after the day’s play. We have requested to the venue to ensure security and stewarding are enhanced for the remainder of the match so players and staff members can go about their duties without provocation.”

England are currently leading the four-match Test series 2-1. The fourth Test will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is.