Du Plessis to answer ball tampering charge before third Test

The batsman was cleared to face Australia in the third Test, but was fined by the ICC after footage emerged of him applying saliva from a mint or sweet to the ball during the encounter in Hobart.

“The “reporter” was also in the unusual position of being in the middle of the players” walkway to the bus”, he said.

Footage showed Wadee shoving Channel Nine reporter Will Crouch into a window at Adelaide Airport at the South African team’s arrival.

“It’s their job [but] I will tell you I did feel there was a sense of looking for a reaction”, du Plessis said.

“It’s something all cricketers do and there will be a lot of emphasis after this incident”.

Du Plessis had been levied with a level 2 offence by the ICC, for “changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3”.

Despite the attention on the ball-tampering claims, South Africa still consider themselves to have the advantage because of the state of the Australian team.

“It’s opening up a can of worms with what is going to happen now going forward with the game”, he said.

“The term ‘cheat” has been thrown around and that’s something I don’t take a liking too.

“I just ask that everyone gets treated the same way”.

The 32-year old, faced similar allegations in the past where, once, he was fined 50 percent of his match fee for polishing the ball around the zipper of his trouser during a Test against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013.

But the appeal nearly certainly won’t be heard before the third Test between Australia and South Africa starts in Adelaide on Thursday.

South Africa’s Faf du Plessis plays a shot.

“It’s not something new. We want to engage with the ICC in a constructive matter, and we want to deal with this properly”, Lorgat added. “So look, we along with every other team around the world, shine the ball the same way”, he said.

Seven months ago, South Africa were “not keen” to play a day-night Test match, primarily because they had never done it before.

Domingo suggested the du Plessis case could be a watershed moment for cricket’s rules regarding ball tampering – insisting mints or lollies to assist shining the ball is considered common practice. “It’s just another cricket ball”.

The Aussies had no support from their own as well as former opener Matthew Hayden tweeted his disdain at the ball tampering incident taking the sheen away from a brilliant South African performance and a Australian batting display that deserved no sympathy. They are angry they have been called out for a practice they feel widely occurs in global cricket.