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South African captain Faf du Plessis says he’s made been a world cricket scapegoat by being found guilty of ball tampering.
Du Plessis insists he did nothing wrong when shining the ball with saliva while sucking on a mint during the second Test against Australia in Hobart last week.
“The verdict was that I was guilty,” du Plessis told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.
“I still completely disagree with that. I felt like I have done nothing wrong … it’s not like I was trying to cheat or anything.”
Du Plessis said he had been made a “scapegoat” by the International Cricket Council, which on Tuesday found him guilty of ball tampering.
Du Plessis was fined his entire match fee from the Hobart Test, given three demerit points but avoided being banned for the third Test starting on Thursday in Adelaide.
“I just ask for everyone to be treated the same way,” he said.
“With ball tampering, it’s a real negative … the term cheat has been thrown around and that is something I do not take lightly.
“I did nothing wrong. I was shining the cricket ball … and every single team I have played in does the same thing.”
Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the squad will consult further with lawyers before deciding whether to appeal the guilty verdict.
Lorgat described it as unprecedented case and cited an inconsistent application of the rules regarding ball shining.
“We want to define the rules more carefully,” Lorgat said.
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