Du Plessis found guilty of ball tampering
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South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis will be fined by the ICC for using a "lolly" to add some extra shine on the ball but should be cleared to play in the third Test in Adelaide, reports suggest. Du Plessis was charged with ball tampering during the second Test of the Australian tour.
In a three-hour hearing, held at the Adelaide Oval with match referee Andy Pycroft, the Protea captain has reportedly been fined but not banned from playing in the final Test against Australia. The stand-in captain had been charged with "changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3" after the second Test at Hobart.
Du Plessis had pleaded not guilty and the fine that he might have to pay could be in the range of 50 and 100
BREAKING. Faf fined portion of match fee will play in Adelaide. More to come.
— Peter Lalor (@plalor) November 22, 2016
BREAKING: Faf du Plessis will definitely play in Adelaide. But looks like a fine and a suspended suspension coming his way.
— Ben Horne (@BenHorne8) November 22, 2016
The 32-year-old was charged on the basis of television footage that showed him shining the ball with a candy in his mouth. However, he was defended by former captain Hashim Amla calling the decision "a joke".
The South Africa team has been caught in the eye of a storm since the accusation, and coach Russell Domingo admitted that the team's preparations ahead of the final Test have been hampered as a result.
"It hasn't been an ideal preparation, there's no doubt about it, I would be lying if I said it has been spectacular preparation. I am comfortable with the way we've gone about it, we are a unified team, we stand by our captain, and we stand by the decisions we've made. They might not have always come across as ideal, but in that particular time and space we thought they were the right things to do," Domingo was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
