England pace bowler Stuart Broad has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for his part in the altercation which occurred during the final day of the fourth Test match between England and South Africa.

He has been deemed of breaching article 2.3 of the ICC code of conduct, pertaining to the “use of an audible obscenity during an international match”, when approaching South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.

Could Faf du Plessis be headed for an ICC sanction?#SAvENG https://t.co/Zf1byZTXGi

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 27, 2020

The offence doubles Broad’s tally of demerit points over the course of the last two years, having collected the same punishment for a send-off of India’s Rishabh Pant in August 2018. He is still two demerit points away from a ban, the fate suffered by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada during the series for his exuberant celebration after dismissing Joe Root in the Port Elizabeth Test.

The incident was yet another in what was an increasingly feisty series, seemingly sparked by remarks caught by the stump microphone from Jos Buttler towards Vernon Philander during the second Test.

Philander later responded with a send-off when he dismissed Buttler in the final Test. Both players received fines and a demerit point. Ben Stokes was another player to be reprimanded during the series, also receiving a fine and a demerit point for comments he made towards a spectator when leaving the field upon his dismissal on day one of The Wanderers Test.