Just after beating Australia 2-0 in the three-match Test series, South Africa is now facing an unprecedented situation off-field, as their stand-in captain Faf du Plessis might be suspended for the final Test after being charged by the ICC for allegedly tampering the cricket ball during the Hobart match.
Now what is ball-tampering? Let's start with ICC's Law 42, subsection 3 of the 'Laws of Cricket', which defines the offence as actions altering the ball's shape, including 'rubbing it on the ground, scuffing it with a fingernail or other sharp object, or disfiguring its seam.'
At times bowlers or fielders, follow this unfair practice in order to get more movement out of the ball, especially in conditions unfavourable for bowlers.
As per the rules, the on-field umpires, responsible for monitoring the ball's condition, are also supposed to inspect it at regular intervals. In case one of them finds a fielder doing anything suspicious with the ball, five penalty runs will be awarded to the batting side, along with opting for a new ball.
If a bowler is found guilty of ball-tampering, he can be prohibited from bowling in that innings.
Also the ball-tamperer, whether it's the bowler or a fielder, usually faces other sanctions as well, like monetary fine or a ban, in some extreme cases. The captain of the side can also be penalised, for failing to control his teammates' on-field conduct.
Now talking about the offence and its seriousness, let us revisit some of the notable incidents in the past, which brought disrepute to the gentleman's game. Incidentally, in most of the ball-tampering cases, the South African team has been involved in some way or the other.
When 'dirt in pocket' affair cost Atherton dearly: England kicked off their 1994 home summer with a three-match Test series against South Africa. In the first match at Lord's, the Proteas, led by skipper Kepler Wessels's gutsy 105 and 72 by opener Gary Kirsten, first put up 357 and then dismissed the home side for 180. In the second innings too, things didn't look good for England, as they were skittled out for a paltry 99, resulting in a massive 356-run victory for the visitors. But it was the English captain Michael Atherton grabbing the headlines for all wrong reasons. He was accused of ball tampering after TV cameras caught him first reaching into his pocket and then rubbing a substance on the ball. The England skipper blatantly denied the charges, saying that he used the dirt to dry his hands. Still he was fined £2,000 for failing to disclose the fact before the match referee.
See the footage here:
'God of Cricket's' brush with ball tampering allegations: The second Test between the South Africa and India at Port Elizabeth in 2001 saw the ghost of ball-tampering haunting the Indian team for the first time. When the match started at the St George's Park, South Africa, already 1-0 up in the three-Test match series, first scored 362. India couldn't pose enough challenge in front of the home side, as they were restricted to 201. In the fifth day, while chasing 394 to win, the visitors put up a much-impressed batting performance in form of 206-3. After the match ending up in a drab draw, the real game began. Englishman Mike Denness, referring the Match, decided to put a one-match ban on Sachin Tendulkar due to alleged ball tampering and excessive appealing. He used the TV cameras' footage of the 'Master Blaster' scuffing the ball's seam to justify the decision. But, in reality, the iconic Indian batsman was just removing the grass stuck in the seam. The incident quickly escalated to racism, and led to Denness being barred from officiating the final Test. The ICC termed the match as an unofficial one. It also cleared Tendulkar from the above charge later.
See the Master Blaster talking about the incident:
When Inzamam and Co. refused to take the field against England: In 2006, when Inzamam-ul-Haq-lead Pakistan took on England in the fourth Test at the London's Oval ground, ball-tampering took the centre stage again. After dismissing the home side for paltry 173, Pakistan amassed a massive 504. In the second innings, While England was batting at 298-4, suddenly the umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove spotted some disfiguration around the seam. England were quickly awarded five penalty runs. Also a new red cherry was taken immediately. When the visitors were informed about this, an upset Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to take to the field for the evening session. Although it seemed to be a protest from Pakistan's part, the umpires warned them first, and then returned 15 minutes later, only to award the match to England. Although the two sides brokered a deal to continue the game, the Umpires stayed on their decision that Pakistan had forfeited the match. In January 2008, PCB asked the ICC to change the official result to "match abandoned" or "match drawn", as nothing conclusive came out from the probe. Five months later, the match's result officially became a draw.
See the Oval drama here:
Shahid Afridi's 'foodie' act with the cricket ball: In 2009/10 season, when Pakistan toured Australia for a two-Test match series, along with five ODIS and two T20s, veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi came up with another antics in the final ODI against the home side. The match in Perth's WACA ground, which saw the Aussies pulling off a nervy chase of 213 runs with only two wickets to spare, had brought out the stand-in Pakistan skippper's appetite. He was caught by the TV cameras, while biting the cricket ball around its seam, just to 'readjust' it. But the move backfired as the ball was immediately replaced by the umpires. Afridi received a two-T20 internationals ban. As per a Hindustan Times report, the veteran all-rounder claimed of trying to smell the ball, a weird logic which couldn't save him from being charged for ball tampering.
See 'foodie' Afridi here:
Du Plessis 'Zipping' the red cherry against Pakistan: In the two-Test match series against Pakistan at the year 2013 in UAE, the Proteas found themselves at the center stage of ball tampering again. Although the Graeme Smith and Co. thrashed Pakistan at the second Test in Dubai by an innings and 92 runs to tie the series 1-1, it was Faf Du Plessis, who stole the limelight. While fielding during the third day, cameras captured the Proteas batsman scuffing the ball against his trousers' zip. The on-field umpires, apart from changing the ball, also penalised South Africa by adding five runs to Pakistan's total. Du Plessis later had to pay a hefty 50 percent of his match fee as a fine. Despite the South African team manager Mohammad Mosajee terming the verdict as "harsh", rest of the team decided not to challenge it. Graeme Smith, the then Proteas skipper claimed the win getting tainted by the incident, while vice-captain AB de Villiers asserted the team of not being 'a bunch of cheats'. In the same match though, the Proteas pacer Vernon Philander came under scrutiny, for allegedly scratching the ball with his forefinger. But he was later relieved by the match referee.
See the 'Zipping Act' here: