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I’m no cheat, du Plessis tells ICC




ADELAIDE: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis on Wednesday denied cheating in the Test match against Australia and warned cricket authorities had opened a “can of worms”.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had fined the Proteas captain on Tuesday after being caught on camera sucking a mint and rubbing saliva into the ball during last week’s second Test against in Hobart.

However, du Plessis denied the allegations and said he did not think he had done anything wrong.

“I still completely disagree with that (decision),” du Plessis told reporters in Adelaide. “I feel like I have done nothing wrong… it is not like I was trying to cheat or anything.

“For me (ball-tampering) is picking the ball, scratching the ball. Shining the ball, I think all cricketers would say, is not in the same place.”

“I just think ICC has opened up a can of worms with what’s going to happen now going forward with the game,” du Plessis said. “Something like this needed to happen to create a bit more awareness around it.”

He added: “Obviously the ICC has taken a stance against me, to use me as a scapegoat now. But all I can ask for is that everyone gets treated the same.”

It is the second time the South African captain has been fined for ball-tampering, after he was docked 50 per cent of his match fee in 2013 for scuffing the ball on the zip of his trousers in the second Test against Pakistan.




 

M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.