Du Plessis was fined for ball tampering and for the uninitiated: the ICC on Friday (last week) confirmed the charge against him after video emerged of him shining the ball with saliva while a lolly was in his mouth during the second Test in Hobart against Aussies.
He has pleaded not guilty since according to the player “was not that serious”.
At the press briefing he said “what was supposed to be a history has been overshadowed by the unfortunate incident”.
The skipper also received an overwhelming support from his teammates and Cricket SA management.
Before the charge was announced, Hashim Amla stood in front of his team-mates at a Melbourne media conference and strongly defended du Plessis.
“The reason everyone is here is to stand together, really, and to show solidarity to something we thought was actually a joke,” Amla said, as du Plessis stood to one side.
“It’s not April, but the allegation against Faf was a really ridiculous thing.
“To a lot of people, it’s sounding more like sour sweets.”
2016 SA Sports Awards nominee speedster Kagiso Rabada, followed suit and did not hold back on social media.
“Excuse – Seek to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offence); try to justify. #responsibility lack there of..,” he tweeted.
Despite the fracas at Airport with British media -known for pulling no punches and coining it the ‘SA mint performance’- Du Plessis still remained composed and today, Proteas will seek to make history by outsmarting Australia 3-0 in the final third test day -night battle.
Go and slam it boys…
