The International Cricket Council (ICC) has warned Australia and South Africa they could face disciplinary action over their public war of words.

The two teams have been trading insults in the lead-up to the first Test starting at the WACA in Perth on Friday and the ICC was not impressed.

The council released a statement from their Dubai headquarters, expressing their concern about the build-up and reminding the players about their responsibilities.

"There have been a series of comments by players and former players ahead of the Australia v South Africa series that I believe make it necessary to remind the players of the importance of playing within the spirit of the game ahead of this series," ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said.

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So far this year 38 players and officials worldwide have been charged with misconduct breaches, one more than the whole of 2004, with the busiest fortnight of matches still to come.

Speed said the ICC accepted that some verbal exchanges were part of the game but warned any player who crossed the line would face disciplinary action under the code.

"Players should be under no illusions. Cricket is a game that expects high standards of behaviour from its players, umpires will report code of conduct breaches and where a breach occurs, it will be dealt with," he said.