Furious Dale Steyn Takes A Dig At Aussies Over Ball Tampering Row, Calls Them 'Soft' 1

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has taken a dig at the Australian team after his compatriot and skipper Faf du Plessis was charged with ball tampering during their emphatic second Test win in Hobart.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday charged the Proteas star after reviewing a video clip that showed him shining the ball during the second Test against Australia in Hobart with a lolly in his mouth. The video clip showed du Plessis repeatedly licking his finger before vigorously rubbing the ball.

However, the verdict has not gone down too well with Steyn, who has returned home after getting injured during the first Test in Perth, and he took to Twitter to vent his frustration.

Calling the Aussies soft, he tweeted:“Beaten with the bat.
Beaten with the ball.
Beaten in the field.
Mentally stronger.

Here’s a idea, Let’s blame it on a lollipop ?
#soft

However, he later cleared his tweet and said that he was not blaming the Australian players by tweeting:” Just so we clear, I’m not blaming the aussies, but I won’t let a fantastic series win be tarnished by some lollipop fabrication. 3-0 mission”

The apex body of the game in a statement on Friday charged du Plessis with ball tampering.

The ICC statement said: “The alleged incident happened on Tuesday morning when TV footage appeared to show du Plessis applying saliva and residue from a mint or sweet, an artificial substance, to the ball in an attempt to change its condition.”

Meanwhile, the South African players have also rallied behind their captain. The team led by senior batsman Hashim Amla attended a press conference on Friday to show solidarity for their beleaguered compatriot.

“The reason everyone is here is to stand together, really, and to show solidarity,” Amla said.

“We thought it was actually a joke. It’s not April, but the allegation against Faf was a really ridiculous thing,” Amla said. “As a team, we’re standing strong, we’ve done nothing wrong.”