Galle - Proteas opening bowler Vernon Philander has been found guilty of attempting to change the condition of the ball, and subsequently fined 75% of his match fee from the ongoing Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Philander, who maintains that he was merely cleaning the ball, was seen to scratch at the ball with his index finger and his thumb, on review of footage from the third day.
When match officials reviewed the ball itself, there was no evidence of the condition having been altered in any way, but the rules and regulations do state that a player is not allowed to clean the ball in any way.
The South African had the option of appealing the fine, but an unsuccessful review comes with a mandatory escalation of punishment, which would have meant at least a one-match ban for Philander.
Saturday Star