Elgar rubbishes allegations of Proteas' 'overboard' sledging: 'Maybe they need to harden up'

Dean Elgar has emphatically dismissed Bangladesh's allegation that the Proteas' conduct during the first Test at Kingsmead amounted to "overboard" and "deplorable" sledging.

South Africa's feisty skipper even went as far as suggesting that their opponents, whom they face again in the second and final skirmish starting in Gqeberha on Friday, simply lacked the mental steel to deal with the demands of the format.

"I don't think [the allegations] are justified whatsoever, especially towards the SA side," Elgar said on Thursday.

"We play the game hard and if anything, we were just giving back what we were getting when we were batting. This is Test cricket. In this context, it's a man's game at this level and I intend to play this game hard."

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However, with modern TV broadcasters giving supporters and stakeholders an unprecedented, even voyeuristic level of coverage of what's happening on the field, there's no room slipping up when it comes to behaviour that can be regarded questionable.

That's why Elgar continues to tell his team-mates not to go over the top.

"By no means did we swear or use foul language towards the Bangladeshis because we still respect them. Maybe they need to harden up and play the game at a level that they're maybe not used to. This was just about us retaliating and not standing back," he said.

"One of my messages was that we need to still do things with dignity. We don't throw our badge, our name away. I honestly didn't see or hear any bad sledging from us and even from the Bangladeshis' side. This is Test cricket."

One of the Tigers' more pertinent claims - which resulted in official correspondence being written to the ICC - was that the