South Africa's stand-in Test captain Faf du Plessis was on Friday charged with ball-tampering by the International Cricket Council.
The ICC confirmed in a statement that du Plessis, who led the Proteas to a Test series win in Australia recently, had been charged for breaching Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to "changing the condition of the ball".
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.
The charge has been laid by the ICC Chief Executive David Richardson who has exercised his right according to Article 3.1.3 of Code.