Australian captain Steve Smith admits: We shine the ball ‘illegally’ too, just like Faf du Plessis

THE great Mintgate saga descended towards farce when Aussie skipper Steve Smith admitted his team shine the ball the same way as South Africa.

Smith’s revelation confirmed one of cricket’s open secrets – almost every team uses sweets and applies sugary saliva to the ball.

Now the ICC must act fast to clarify what is acceptable and what is not.

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With Smith confessing to the same ‘offence’ for which Proteas captain Faf du Plessis was found guilty and fined his match fee, the game’s laws and regulations need to be re-written.

Former and current players insisted using sweets to help shine the ball was no big deal – and the game’s rulers should instead concentrate issues such as dwindling crowds, corruption and over-rates.

Smith said: “Every team around the world shines the cricket ball. I have seen Faf’s comments and I make it very clear we haven’t come out and said anything about Faf or about how he was shining the ball or anything like that.

“We along with every other team around the world shine the ball the same way.”

Smith’s admission came just 24 hours after du Plessis was found guilty of ball-tampering because he polished the ball with a mint in his mouth.

TV footage also emerged on Tuesday of Virat Kohli apparently doing something similar during the First Test against England – putting his finger in his mouth, which contained a small sweet, and then rubbing the ball.

It would be no surprise if England players have used mints to try to improve the shine on the ball during the current series against India.

Captains Alastair Cook and Kohli will have the chance to give their views on Friday during their press conferences before the Third Test on Saturday.

One thing you can guarantee - no players will have sweets in their mouths in that match or the Third Test between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide.

MCC, guardians of the laws, admit it is very difficult to police the situation as it stands because umpires already have enough to worry about making normal decisions.

The issue has become so clouded. What can be put in the mouth – chewing gum, sweets, cola, fruit, isotonic drinks? What if sun cream or hair gel gets on the ball?

Former England spinner Graeme Swann was one high-profile player to think the verdict against Du Plessis was nonsense.

He tweeted: “ICC need to stop being jobsworths. Perhaps concentrate on improving Test crowds rather than this nonsense.”

Du Plessis, speaking for the first time since pleading not guilty at the three-hour hearing with match referee Andy Pycroft on Tuesday, continued to protest his innocence.

He said he was shining the ball not tampering with it.

Du Plessis insisted: “The verdict was that I was guilty and I completely disagree with that. I felt like I have done nothing wrong.

“There are two ways of looking at it, either ball-shining or ball-tampering. For me, if you talk about ball-tampering, that is something that’s wrong. It’s picking the ball, scratching the ball.

“Shining is something that all cricketers would say is not in that same space. It’s something all cricketers do and I think there will be a lot of emphasis after this incident on where the game is going and what the ICC is going to do about it.

“I don’t believe shining is wrong. It’s not like I was trying to cheat or anything. I was shining a ball and I see no problem with that.

“I wasn’t trying to hide it. I put a massive mint in my mouth and my mouth was wide open. Whether you shine the ball with a sweet in your mouth or whether you don’t see the sweet and the sweet is still there, it’s exactly the same thing.

“Ex-players have spoken about it. It’s part of our game, it’s been an unwritten rule. Some people use sunblock to shine the ball. I know of people who carry lip-ice in their pocket and shine the cricket ball or gum.

“It’s so difficult to say what is right and wrong. It’s a massive grey area.”