Faf du Plessis has been found guilty of a level 2 offence for ball-tampering and has been fined his entire match fee, but will play in the third Test.

In addition to the sanction imposed for his breach of Article 2.2.9, three demerit points have been added to Du Plessis’s disciplinary record.

If Du Plessis reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they will be converted into suspension points and he will be banned. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first.

The South Africans argued that there was no proof that the mint affected the ball but the ICC have seen it differently, sticking to the charges they laid down on Friday, stating that he breached Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

Zimbabwean match referee Andy Pycroft said the decision was based on the evidence given from the umpires, who confirmed that had they seen the incident they would have taken action immediately, and from Mr Stephenson, who confirmed the view of MCC that the television footage showed an artificial substance being transferred to the ball.

The interim skipper, who has overseen a 5-0 ODI series whitewash against Australia and a third-consecutive away Test series win against the Aussies has 48 hours to appeal. Cricket South Africa have revealed that Du Plessis will appeal the charges against him.

When he was charged, the Proteas rallied behind Du Plessis after hearing of the news, with Hashim Amla being very outspoken on the matter.

‘The reason everyone is here is to stand together, really, and to show solidarity to something … we thought was actually a joke,’ Amla said. ‘It’s not April, but the allegation against Faf was … a really ridiculous thing.’

 

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