Faf in sticky ball-shining situation

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been seen on camera shining the ball with a sweet in his mouth, seemingly contravening the laws of the game.

Using any artificial substance to shine or damage the ball is against the rules, and Du Plessis is shown during the Hobart Test repeatedly rubbing the ball after apparently touching a mint in his mouth.

A mint is supposedly able to preserve the shine on the ball a bit longer, according to former England batsman Marcus Trescothick, who was caught doing the same thing in 2009.

According to the CA website, “Law 42.3 of the MCC’s Laws of Cricket states that a fielder may polish a ball, ‘provided that no artificial substance is used'”.

It’s not the first time the stand-in skipper has been involved in a ball tampering controversy. In 2013 he was seen rubbing the ball on the zipper of his trouser pocket to scuff it up, and was fined by the ICC.

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