Nasser Hussain defends Kohli and Faf du Plessis in ball tampering allegations

Former England captain Nasser Hussain rubbed aside all the allegations which have been doing the rounds against Indian captain Virat Kohli who supposedly shined the ball during the 1st Test against England at Rajkot applying saliva mixed with mint in his mouth.

He also criticised ICC for charging Proteas captain Faf du Plessis with ball tampering allegations during the 2nd Test against Australia at Hobart. Du Plessis hasn’t been suspended though and will be available to play in the pink ball Test against Australia at Adelaide starting next week.

“It’s ludicrous really. Much ado about nothing. The whole ball-shining thing with something in your mouth has been going on for ages,” Nasser told India Today.

“I don’t know how you police it. How you say what is allowed and is not. What kind of sweets or drinks (can players consume) during the breaks?

“I defend Virat and Faf vehemently. This is really poor stuff and we need to start concentrating on the important things.”

Du Plessis has come hard against the cricketing authorities warning them that the verdict against him has raised quite a few eyebrows. He felt he did nothing wrong and insisted on the fact that everyone does it. Though Hussain said its common sense but the defence did not work out in front of the ICC panel.

Aussie captain Steve Smith had the similar views and said even Australia does it. “Every side has sweets or a gum. So the verdict is harsh. How do you monitor such things? When can you have sweets and what kind of sweets? On top of that, there is no proof that sugar makes the ball swing. The vagaries of swing – some days it does and then some days it doesn’t. It’s a storm in a tea cup, “Smith added.

While Du Plessis was charged 100% of his match fee for his alleged ball tampering, Indian skipper Virat Kohli is unlikely to face any action as no official complaint had been lodged as the media attempted to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Nasser Hussain agreed with Du Plessis’ claims that rules on ball tampering should be properly reviewed and use of artificial substances properly defined.

“What is artificially altering the state of the ball? I know England do it, all teams do it, chucking the ball against an abrasive outfield to try to get it to reverse swing.

“Umpires can’t do anything about that and that is changing the state of the ball. So is saliva out or chewing gum out or sun block lotion not allowed? If all cricketers are saying this is what they do, what Faf did, and they have been doing it forever, then they have to clearly look at what do they mean by an artificial substance. That line really needs tiding up in that law,” the former great captain concluded.