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[ScottParko]

Faf Du Plessis has been charged with ball tampering after being caught shining the ball with a sweet in his mouth. You cannot make it up. Let's be real it happens everywhere at every level.

He's already been caught before rubbing the ball on his zip which is fair enough, but if he gets punished for this it could be a big punishment, with it being his second offence.

[ppccopener]

no artificial substance should be applied to the ball, that is the technical description I believe.

you might argue a sweet is not artificial-although im not a chemist 

it's a load of rubbish anyway, same as when Atherton rubbed dirt on the ball and got done.

we did it in the 2005 ashes with sweets, quite how much effect is has I would question myself thou

[WalkingWicket37]

What about the layer of sun cream/Vaseline on the back of the neck for shining the ball?
We all know it happens...

[six and out]

think this was very much a case of, this is what the law says, you have been seen on camera, therefore we have to throw the book at you. Even though they know it goes on all the time.

the interesting thing will be what they do from here because technically loads of people could get pulled up now

or even other players can you imagine a situation where say Smith is batting and sees Amla chewing gum at slip he could then say that he should be done etc....

[Felix Tito]

Funniest thing about this is the Australians didn't complain or have any issues with du Plessis, yet ICC president Dave Richardson(a South African) shoots down his own countryman

[Blank Bats]

Would anyone know what the state of the match was when this is supposed to have occurred.

[Wickets-then-runs]

Would anyone know what the state of the match was when this is supposed to have occurred.

if it was anytime after the toss, Australia were in trouble....

[csnew]

As usual more mixed messages from the ICC. Plenty of sides ball temper as faf has done this time. So let's see it either enforced or legalise ball tempering and allow each side some sand paper.

[dcullen8]

Genuinely played a t20 where the oppos turned up with a ball that had not only been sandpapered, but a good few layers of household polish too. Went round corners for fun!

[Number4]

no artificial substance should be applied to the ball, that is the technical description I believe.

you might argue a sweet is not artificial-although im not a chemist 

it's a load of rubbish anyway, same as when Atherton rubbed dirt on the ball and got done.

we did it in the 2005 ashes with sweets, quite how much effect is has I would question myself thou

As per Trescothicks admission it worked a treat which was origianlly discovered by the Warwickshire team

[Yorkershire]

Saw an interview with Imran Khan today which I found interesting. He claimed that technically many things that had gone on in the game for years before the 92 uproar at Waqar and Wasim could be seen as ball tampering eg the sun creams, picking the seam etc.

He explained his story where he used a bottle top and accepted that was cheating was a one off. He was trying to explain to Ivo Tennant difference between what everyone was doing and what he felt was crossing the line.

Think the ICC need to revisit and be more concise in what is actually tampering and what is not. Sun creams, dirt, sweets, lifting seam... and I am sure stuff we don't know about.

[ppccopener]

Yes quite right, it's a very grey area. There s different opinions what is and what is not so for the ICC to pin down even for administrators or players would be very hard.

I don't consider what Faf did to be ball tampering, I'm sure there's those on the forum that think it was.

[Thesmiff]

Hand on heart how many of us have 'cleaned the seam out' and let a fingernail 'accidentally' slip under the seam?

[Bats_Galore]

With the video footage been so clear the ICC had to act or legalise ball tampering. If it doesn't do anything to the ball why do players bother doing it. He does have previous and is stupid enough to be so blatant to be caught again. Basically it is cheating. I do feel there are double standards, if this had been a Pakistani player everyone would be up in arms. Further if these things impact the result of the match and they are legal the penalties should be much heavier, including if caught the result of the match in which it happened should be voided.

[WalkingWicket37]

I do feel there are double standards, if this had been a Pakistani player everyone would be up in arms.

Bring back the mint flavoured ball they were trialling in 2010!