Faf du Plessis found guilty of ball tampering, escapes one-match ban

South Africa's stand-in captain Faf du Plessis has been found guilty of ball-tampering and will be fined the entire of his match fee from the Hobart Test. The batsman, however, is free to play the third Test scheduled to take place in Adelaide later this week.

The charge came after footage emerged last week of du Plessis applying saliva and residue from a lolly in his mouth to the ball during the match against Australia at Hobart. The charge laid down by International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Dave Richardson related to clause 2.2.9 of the ICC's Code of Conduct which deals with "changing the condition of the ball" in breach of the Laws of Cricket.

"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", said a statement released by the ICC.

"Under the version of the code that came into force on 22 September, 2016, the offence was treated as a first offense. Mr du Plessis was fined 100 per cent of his match fee and is free to play the third Test in Adelaide on Thursday."

In addition to losing his full match fee, du Plessis also has three demerit points added to his disciplinary record. If he reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, the points will be converted into suspension points and will lead to a one game ban for the cricketer.

South Africa currently lead the three-match series against Australia winning both the Tests so far and go into the final Day/Night game at Adelaide as the favourites to inflict a clean sweep on the hosts.